NBA Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers, more commonly known as the Cavs, are a professional basketball team located in Cleveland. It is one of the eight teams that make up the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). They began their career as an NBA expansion team in 1970 but it was not until 2007 that they took a title.
They play their games in Cleveland in blue, orange and white uniforms. They played their first game in 1970 with the status of an expansion team. The Cleveland Cavaliers franchise has made it to the conference final only twice and has only managed one Division Championship. In fact, to date, it is the oldest team to ever make it to the NBA Finals.
During the mid-1970s season, the team successfully acquired veteran center Nate Thurmond, who successfully led the team to a winning season that was its first. Additionally, they had a 49-33 win-loss record, which resulted in their qualification for the playoffs. The victory was due to the strong defense of the team that featured Thurmond. But ultimately the team was heavily defeated by the Boston Celtics in the 1976 conference final.
From the late 1980s through the early 1990s, the team recorded 57 winning records in two individual seasons and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1992. Some of its star players included Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, and Larry Nance. Nate Thurmond, Smith, John Johnson and Austin Carr are among the other historical players who deserve a mention. His series of frustrating seasons continued even into the 2002-2003 season.
Fortunately, they acquired the number one draft pick in the NBA Lottery, which they used to acquire a high school player, LeBron James. Things looked hopeful with his inclusion on the team and he managed to win the NBA Rookie of the Year title. The 2004-05 season saw LeBron James become a superstar. Their averages increased dramatically. Together with Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas they formed the effective center of the team. In fact, many compare him to the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan.
Later the year 2005 brought many changes for the team. Mike Brown was hired as a coach and Danny Ferry, who was a former player, was hired as a general manager. Several multi-year contracts were made with some players, namely Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones, who were all free agents.
Cleveland Clinic Courts, a practice center opened in 2007 in Ohio and quickly became known as the best center in the area. It has 2 courts, a conference room, reception offices and a kitchen. Fred McLeod and Austin Carr handle local television commentary, while Jeff Phelps and Campy Russell host.