CAVS.SPACE

  Warning: Reader's discretion is advised, as some of the 'after the season' notes discuss serious, graphic situations.  The Cleveland Cavaliers begin their 24th NBA Playoffs appearance with Game 1 versus the Orlando Magic. The Magic are making their 17th playoff appearance. The teams split the 2023-2024 season series, 2-2. Coincidentally, the two franchises have near identical regular season winning percentages in their histories (.467 for Cleveland; .469 for Orlando).  Believe it or not, this year is already the 15th anniversary of the only playoffs meeting the two teams have had until this year. That season was a memorable run for both teams, with the 59-23 Magic upsetting the 66-16 Cavs, 4-2, in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. Let's take some time to reflect on that past Cavs squad. The 2008-2009 Cavaliers entered the season having taken the eventual 2008 NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics, to the final seconds of Game 7 of their second round matchup. The Celtics

The #4 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers are matching up with the #5 seeded New York Knicks for the 4th time in franchise playoff history. This will be a tough series, as the Knicks took the season series, 3-1.  Here is a quick recap of what happened in the past 3 matchups:  1. 1978: Knicks win, 2-0. Cleveland entered the series having won the season series, 3-1. Campy Russell led the #4 seeded Cavs in this series with 27.5 points per game, backed up by 5 other scorers in double-figures, including fellow broadcasters Austin Carr and Jim Chones. However, home court advantage and balanced scoring were not enough to overcome an equally talented #5 Knicks team paced by Bob McAdoo's 34.0 points per game.  This would be the last of 3 playoff appearances under Coach Bill Fitch, who would lead the Boston Celtics to the 1981 NBA Championship. His hall of fame career would also include leading the 1985-1986 Houston Rockets (led by the Twin Towers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson) to the NBA Final

The 2022-2023 NBA Trade Deadline has passed. The Cleveland Cavaliers were satisfied with their offseason moves, Ricky Rubio getting healthier, and having generally good team chemistry, so they did not make any trades. In the meantime, President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman and the Cavs will keep their eyes on the buyout/free agency list of available players.  Here is their updated rotation: Star players who are core players:  G Donovan Mitchell, G Darius Garland, C Jarrett Allen, F/C Evan Mobley   Role players who are core players: F/G Isaac Okoro, G Ricky Rubio, G/F Caris LaVert, F Dean Wade, F Cedi Osman Role players who are situational players: F/G Lamar Stevens, G Raul Neto Bench players who are secondary backups:  C Robin Lopez, F/C Kevin Love *Two-way players: F Mamadi Diakite, F Isaiah Mobley *Injured: F/G Dylan Windler This rotation is certainly subject to change, especially if they take a flyer on any free agents. As of now, this is my prediction for Coach J.B. Bickers

Hi there, it has been a while since I last posted. I have been pretty busy with my primarily daily work, but I hope to write more again this season.  Overall, the style of play of the 2022-2023 Cleveland Cavaliers reminds me of the 1980s-1990s Lenny Wilkens coached Cavs. Watching tonight's game vs. the Charlotte Hornets and other games this year, I keep thinking about who I would compare today's Cavaliers with Cavaliers of the past.  Here is the list I came up with; feel free to Tweet at me @nbacavsblogger with your thoughts on how accurate or inaccurate my list is.  Current Past Darius Garland Mark Price Donovan Mitchell World B. Free Lamar Stevens Cedric Henderson Evan Mobley Shawn Kemp Jarrett Allen Nate Thurmond Caris LeVert Larry Hughes Kevin Love Antawn Jamison Ricky Rubio Andre Miller Cedi Osman Craig Ehlo Dean Wade Ira Newble Isaac Okoro Alonzo Gee Raul Neto Matthew Dellavedova Robin Lopez Anderson Varejao Dylan Windler Trajan Langdon

The 2021-2022 NBA season has been quite the ride for the young Cleveland Cavaliers team. There have been ups and downs with multiple winning streaks but loads of injuries and illness. After the New Year’s Eve loss, the Cavs stand at 20-16 and 5th in the Eastern Conference. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff was rewarded for helping guide and teach the team with a Christmas Day contract extension through 2026-2027. Rajon Rondo joins to help fill the void left by Ricky Rubio and Collin Sexton, who both suffered from season-ending injuries. Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley are showing up as big-time players, with Isaac Okoro leading other up-and-coming players on the roster. Trade rumors continue regarding other big-name talent. Regardless, the Cavs are finding their stride this year. 2022 brings much basketball hope to Cleveland, including the NBA All-Star Game in February and hopefully a return to postseason play for the first time in 4 years.

In 2007, Cleveland sports reached an interesting crossroads: the possibility of all 3 major franchises (Cavaliers, Indians, and Browns) reaching the playoffs in a cycle of consecutive calendar seasons.  Sadly, the Browns were a "force out" rule away from an 11-5 record and a playoff berth--if enforced correctly, the Browns would have scored a game-winning touchdown on the final play of their game against the Arizona Cardinals. In part because of the controversial nature of this play, the NFL voted to remove this rule permanently after the season. As a result, the last (and only) cycle of big 3 Cleveland playoff berths was 1994-1995 (1994 Browns, 1994-1995 Cavs, 1995 Indians). (Of course, the 1994 MLB strike prevented this cycle from starting earlier, as the 1994 Indians were locked in a competitive race with the Chicago White Sox when the strike started after the injury-depleted 1993-1994 Cavs fell in the playoffs at the hands of the Scottie Pippen-led Chicago Bulls without t