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FRANCHISE

NBA franchise story

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland's arc runs from the Miracle of Richfield through the Price–Daugherty teams to LeBron James's two transformative stays and the first major sports championship in the city's modern era.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Cleveland Cavaliers official team history ↗

The beginning↓

01▼

Franchise era

1970–71—1981–82

Expansion pain becomes a beloved contender

The Miracle of Richfield

After a difficult launch, Cleveland won its first division title and playoff series in a dramatic 1976 run.

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Chapter 01

1970–71—1981–82

02▼

Franchise era

1982–83—1992–93

Precision offense meets the Jordan obstacle

Price, Daugherty and Nance

A smart, balanced contender won 57 games but repeatedly found Michael Jordan and Chicago in its postseason path.

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Chapter 02

1982–83—1992–93

03▼

Franchise era

1993–94—2002–03

Terrell Brandon

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Competitive defense fades into a rebuild

The long reset

Cleveland remained respectable for a time before injuries and roster turnover pushed the franchise toward the 2003 lottery.

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Chapter 03

1993–94—2002–03

04▼

Franchise era

2003–04—2009–10

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Anderson Varejão

A hometown star creates a contender

LeBron's first ascent

James took Cleveland from the lottery to the 2007 Finals and consecutive 60-win seasons, though a championship remained out of reach.

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Chapter 04

2003–04—2009–10

05▼

Franchise era

2010–11—2013–14

Anderson Varejão

Tristan Thompson

The teardown that produced Kyrie

Between LeBron eras

Four rebuilding seasons supplied the young talent and flexibility that would support an unprecedented reunion.

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Chapter 05

2010–11—2013–14

06▼

Franchise era

2014–15—2017–18

Four Finals and the 3–1 comeback

Believeland

James returned, formed a new Big Three and led the 2016 comeback that delivered Cleveland its first NBA championship.

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Chapter 06

2014–15—2017–18

07

Franchise era

2018–19—present

Donovan Mitchell

Size, defense and a new All-Star core

A contender grows without LeBron

Cleveland rebuilt through the draft, then added Mitchell to a frontcourt-led foundation capable of contending on its own terms.

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Chapter 07

2018–19—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Cleveland Cavaliers games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · NBA Finals

CLEVELANDCAVALIERS

GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS

Cavaliers vs Warriors

Jun 19, 2016

#02 · First Round

CLEVELANDCAVALIERS

Bulls vs Cavaliers

May 7, 1989

#03 · Eastern Conference Finals

Eastern ConferenceFinals

CLEVELANDCAVALIERS

Cavaliers vs Pistons

May 31, 2007

#04 · NBA Finals

CLEVELANDCAVALIERS

GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS

Cavaliers vs Warriors

May 31, 2018

#05 · Regular Season

CLEVELANDCAVALIERS

Bulls vs Cavaliers

Mar 28, 1990

Season history

Past seasons

56 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Cleveland Cavaliers games

4,790 total · loaded 10 at a time