1988-89 Cleveland Cavaliers
[edit] The Offseason
Coach Lenny Wilkins and GM Wayne Embry had done a terrific job putting this team together. With youngsters like Brad Daugherty at center, John ' Hot Rod Williams, and guards Mark Price and Ron Harper as the young core of a club that even impressed Magic Johnson. Veterans like Larry Nance, Tree Rollins, Mike Sanders and Phil Hubbard were there as well to provide clutch play and leadership. The NBA was waiting for this bunch to bloom and this year they did.
[edit] Preseason Predictions
[edit] Regular-Season Highlights
The team went 57 -25, including 37-4 at home at the Richfield Coliseum. They went 4-1 vs. Boston and 6-0 vs. Chicago in those regular season series. Cleveland fans, always among the best anywhere, packed seats at a rate 17,800 per home game. The tight trio of Daugherty, Price and Harper all averaged over 18 points per game, with Nance right there at over 17 as well.
Gm Date Tm Opp W/L Score W-L Streak +--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-----+------+ 1 1988-11-04 CLE @CHH W 133-93 1-0 Won 1 2 1988-11-05 CLE @IND W 105-99 2-0 Won 2 3 1988-11-09 CLE LAC W 108-91 3-0 Won 3 4 1988-11-12 CLE IND W 121-96 4-0 Won 4 5 1988-11-15 CLE ATL L 95-97 4-1 Lost 1 6 1988-11-18 CLE @NJN W 95-94 5-1 Won 1 7 1988-11-19 CLE MIL W 106-99 6-1 Won 2 8 1988-11-22 CLE @BOS W 114-102 7-1 Won 3 9 1988-11-23 CLE @PHI L 91-104 7-2 Lost 1 10 1988-11-26 CLE @NYK L 112-127 7-3 Lost 2 11 1988-11-27 CLE MIA W 109-80 8-3 Won 1 12 1988-12-01 CLE @MIL W 99-96 9-3 Won 2 13 1988-12-02 CLE BOS W 112-84 10-3 Won 3 14 1988-12-04 CLE DEN W 122-103 11-3 Won 4 15 1988-12-06 CLE @HOU L 105-106 11-4 Lost 1 16 1988-12-08 CLE @SAS W 104-95 12-4 Won 1 17 1988-12-10 CLE @DAL W 102-98 13-4 Won 2 18 1988-12-13 CLE LAL L 102-111 13-5 Lost 1 19 1988-12-15 CLE DET W 119-98 14-5 Won 1 20 1988-12-17 CLE ATL W 120-94 15-5 Won 2 21 1988-12-20 CLE UTA W 110-94 16-5 Won 3 22 1988-12-21 CLE @BOS W 115-114 17-5 Won 4 23 1988-12-23 CLE SEA W 119-107 18-5 Won 5 24 1988-12-27 CLE @CHI W 107-96 19-5 Won 6 +--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-----+------+ Gm Date Tm Opp W/L Score W-L Streak +--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-----+------+ 25 1988-12-28 CLE CHH W 122-98 20-5 Won 7 26 1988-12-30 CLE WSB W 127-110 21-5 Won 8 27 1989-01-03 CLE IND W 119-98 22-5 Won 9 28 1989-01-05 CLE CHI W 103-98 23-5 Won 10 29 1989-01-07 CLE NYK W 104-96 24-5 Won 11 30 1989-01-09 CLE @SEA L 103-105 24-6 Lost 1 31 1989-01-11 CLE @PHO W 124-121 25-6 Won 1 32 1989-01-13 CLE @LAL L 95-116 25-7 Lost 1 33 1989-01-14 CLE @DEN W 116-104 26-7 Won 1 34 1989-01-16 CLE PHO W 126-110 27-7 Won 2 35 1989-01-19 CLE @IND W 113-106 28-7 Won 3 36 1989-01-21 CLE NJN W 115-103 29-7 Won 4 37 1989-01-23 CLE GSW W 142-109 30-7 Won 5 38 1989-01-24 CLE @ATL L 105-121 30-8 Lost 1 39 1989-01-27 CLE @DET W 80-79 31-8 Won 1 40 1989-01-29 CLE @WSB L 117-122 31-9 Lost 1 41 1989-01-31 CLE PHI W 118-103 32-9 Won 1 42 1989-02-02 CLE @NYK L 109-125 32-10 Lost 1 43 1989-02-03 CLE SAC W 110-94 33-10 Won 1 44 1989-02-05 CLE @CHH W 110-91 34-10 Won 2 45 1989-02-07 CLE @MIL L 106-115 34-11 Lost 1 46 1989-02-09 CLE IND W 108-99 35-11 Won 1 47 1989-02-14 CLE @MIA W 109-98 36-11 Won 2 48 1989-02-15 CLE NYK W 129-107 37-11 Won 3 +--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-----+------+ Gm Date Tm Opp W/L Score W-L Streak +--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-----+------+ 49 1989-02-17 CLE @ATL L 100-108 37-12 Lost 1 50 1989-02-18 CLE PHI W 118-100 38-12 Won 1 51 1989-02-20 CLE HOU W 110-90 39-12 Won 2 52 1989-02-22 CLE NJN W 130-111 40-12 Won 3 53 1989-02-24 CLE POR W 128-91 41-12 Won 4 54 1989-02-28 CLE DET W 115-99 42-12 Won 5 55 1989-03-02 CLE SAS W 112-84 43-12 Won 6 56 1989-03-03 CLE @DET L 90-96 43-13 Lost 1 57 1989-03-05 CLE MIL L 98-103 43-14 Lost 2 58 1989-03-07 CLE @SAC W 105-95 44-14 Won 1 59 1989-03-09 CLE @GSW L 114-120 44-15 Lost 1 60 1989-03-10 CLE @LAC L 103-105 44-16 Lost 2 61 1989-03-12 CLE @POR W 123-110 45-16 Won 1 62 1989-03-13 CLE @UTA L 83-98 45-17 Lost 1 63 1989-03-15 CLE CHI W 115-91 46-17 Won 1 64 1989-03-19 CLE @NJN W 101-91 47-17 Won 2 65 1989-03-20 CLE WSB W 103-97 48-17 Won 3 66 1989-03-22 CLE @PHI L 97-100 48-18 Lost 1 67 1989-03-23 CLE MIL W 102-88 49-18 Won 1 68 1989-03-25 CLE @MIL L 105-113 49-19 Lost 1 69 1989-03-27 CLE @IND L 102-104 49-20 Lost 2 70 1989-03-28 CLE DAL W 102-90 50-20 Won 1 71 1989-03-31 CLE @CHI W 109-100 51-20 Won 2 72 1989-04-02 CLE BOS W 117-100 52-20 Won 3 +--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-----+------+ Gm Date Tm Opp W/L Score W-L Streak +--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-----+------+ 73 1989-04-04 CLE ATL W 105-91 53-20 Won 4 74 1989-04-07 CLE @WSB L 96-107 53-21 Lost 1 75 1989-04-09 CLE CHH W 122-116 54-21 Won 1 76 1989-04-11 CLE PHI W 92-90 55-21 Won 2 77 1989-04-12 CLE @DET L 95-107 55-22 Lost 1 78 1989-04-14 CLE @BOS L 104-113 55-23 Lost 2 79 1989-04-16 CLE CHI W 111-92 56-23 Won 1 80 1989-04-18 CLE DET L 102-118 56-24 Lost 1 81 1989-04-21 CLE @ATL L 89-92 56-25 Lost 2 82 1989-04-23 CLE @CHI W 90-84 57-25 Won 1 +--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-------------+
