2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

(Photo from 2016-17 season) Team captain forward LeBron James played his ninth season with Cleveland (and the second of his second stint). He was an All-Star for the twelfth time in his career, was named to the All-NBA First Team, and was named Finals MVP after leading the Cavaliers back from a 3–1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors for the franchise's first NBA title.

The 2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 46th season of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA championship, the first NBA championship in franchise history. During the regular season, the Cavaliers had the third best team offensive rating and were tenth in team defensive rating in the NBA. During the playoffs, the Cavaliers had the best team offensive rating and were eighth in team defensive rating in the NBA.

In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in four games in the first round, then swept the Atlanta Hawks in four games in the Semi-finals, before finally defeating the Toronto Raptors in six games in the Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals for a second consecutive year. There, the Cavaliers faced off against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, the team that defeated them in the previous year's NBA Finals in six games, and were coming off of the best regular-season record in NBA history at 73–9.

The Cavaliers would go on to defeat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals in seven games, coming back from a 3–1 series deficit to avenge their loss from the prior year. The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA Finals history to recover from a 3–1 series deficit and win. The Cavaliers' victory also marked the first championship win by a major professional sports team from Cleveland since 1964, ending a 52–year championship drought dating back to the 1964 NFL title won by the Cleveland Browns. In addition, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first NBA champion to represent the Central Division since the 2003–04 Detroit Pistons.

Regular season summary

2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

The Cavaliers started the season strong and rose to the top of the Eastern Conference. However, despite having the best record in their conference, the team fired head coach David Blatt on January 22, 2016. Assistant coach Tyronn Lue took over for the remainder of the season. The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 57–25 record and obtained the number one seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since (/wiki/2009–10ClevelandCavaliersseason).

Team captain guard Kyrie Irving played his fifth season with Cleveland and hit the go-ahead shot in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Postseason summary

2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

In the 2016 NBA Playoffs' first round, the Cleveland Cavaliers matched up against the 8th seed Detroit Pistons. In the first game of their series, Cleveland's point guard Kyrie Irving led the way scoring 31 points and sealing a win for the Cavaliers, 106–101. The Cavs swept the rest of the series, winning 107–90 in Game 2, 101–91 in Game 3, and 100–98 in Game 4. Kyrie Irving was the top scorer of the series averaging 27.5 points per game, LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers in this series in assist and steals, averaging 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals, and big man Kevin Love led Cleveland in rebounds averaging 12 total rebounds per game. The Cavaliers were matched with the number four seed, Atlanta Hawks, for their second series in the 2015-2016 post-season. Similar to their last series, they swept their opponents 4–0. LeBron James led the way in scoring, averaging 24.3 points per game. He also led his team in assists and steals, averaging 7.8 assists and 3 steals per game. Kevin Love was the rebound leader for the series averaging 13 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers were now facing the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. The series between the Raptors and the Cavaliers took 6 games to finish with Cleveland winning 4 to 2. This was the first time in their 2015-2016 playoff run that they lost a game. LeBron James led his team in all major stats against the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 26 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in the 6-game series. The Cavaliers were off to face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals. They were considered huge underdogs because the Warriors had accomplished an incredible feat in the regular season, seventy-three wins and nine losses, the best record ever in the NBA.

The Cavaliers lost three of the first four games of the 2016 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors, who had defeated Cleveland in the Finals the year before. The first two games were blowouts for Golden State, 104–89 and 110–77 respectively, combining for a total winning margin of 48. Cleveland would respond with a 120–90 blowout of their own to cut the series deficit to 2–1, but the Warriors would pull away late in Game 4 to take a decisive 3–1 series lead. In turn, the Cavaliers won Games 5 and 6 of the series to bring about a climactic Game 7 at Oracle Arena.

With Game 7 tied at 89–89, LeBron James chased down and blocked Andre Iguodala's attempted lay-up in a play that became known as "The Block." The Cavaliers ultimately won Game 7, 93–89, for the first NBA championship in franchise history. Until then, no team had recovered from a 3–1 deficit in an NBA Finals series. James was named the unanimous NBA Finals MVP, receiving the award for the third time in his career.

This win ended a fifty-two year championship drought in the city of Cleveland, with the last championship that any major sports team had won there being in 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won an NFL season. In addition, this championship was LeBron's first to not be with the Miami Heat.

Draft picks

2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

<table><thead><tr><th>Round</th><th>Pick</th><th>Player</th><th>Position</th><th>Nationality</th><th>College/Club team</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>24</td><td>Tyus Jones</td><td>PG</td><td> United States</td><td>Duke</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>53</td><td>Sir'Dominic Pointer</td><td>SG / SF</td><td> United States</td><td>St. John's</td></tr></tbody></table>

Roster

2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

<table><thead><tr><th>Players</th><th>Coaches</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Head coach Assistant(s) Legend Roster Updated: April 13, 2016</td></tr><tr><td>Pos.</td><td>No.</td><td>Player</td><td>Height</td><td>Weight</td><td>DOB</td><td>From</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>9</td><td>Channing Frye</td><td>6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)</td><td>255 lb (116 kg)</td><td>1983-05-17</td><td>Arizona</td></tr><tr><td>PG</td><td>8</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova</td><td>6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)</td><td>198 lb (90 kg)</td><td>1990-09-08</td><td>Saint Mary’s</td></tr><tr><td>PG</td><td>2</td><td>Kyrie Irving</td><td>6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)</td><td>193 lb (88 kg)</td><td>1992-03-23</td><td>Duke</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>23</td><td>LeBron James</td><td>6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)</td><td>250 lb (113 kg)</td><td>1984-12-30</td><td>St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (OH)</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>24</td><td>Richard Jefferson</td><td>6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)</td><td>233 lb (106 kg)</td><td>1980-06-21</td><td>Arizona</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>30</td><td>Dahntay Jones</td><td>6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)</td><td>225 lb (102 kg)</td><td>1980-12-27</td><td>Duke</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>1</td><td>James Jones</td><td>6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)</td><td>218 lb (99 kg)</td><td>1980-10-04</td><td>Miami (FL)</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>14</td><td>Sasha Kaun</td><td>6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)</td><td>260 lb (118 kg)</td><td>1985-05-08</td><td>Kansas</td></tr><tr><td>PF</td><td>0</td><td>Kevin Love</td><td>6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)</td><td>251 lb (114 kg)</td><td>1988-09-07</td><td>UCLA</td></tr><tr><td>PG</td><td>12</td><td>Jordan McRae</td><td>6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)</td><td>179 lb (81 kg)</td><td>1991-03-28</td><td>Tennessee</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>20</td><td>Timofey Mozgov</td><td>7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)</td><td>275 lb (125 kg)</td><td>1986-07-16</td><td>Russia</td></tr><tr><td>SG</td><td>4</td><td>Iman Shumpert</td><td>6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)</td><td>220 lb (100 kg)</td><td>1990-06-26</td><td>Georgia Tech</td></tr><tr><td>SG</td><td>5</td><td>J. R. Smith</td><td>6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)</td><td>225 lb (102 kg)</td><td>1985-09-09</td><td>St. Benedict's Prep (NJ)</td></tr><tr><td>F/C</td><td>13</td><td>Tristan Thompson</td><td>6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)</td><td>238 lb (108 kg)</td><td>1991-03-13</td><td>Texas</td></tr><tr><td>PG</td><td>52</td><td>Mo Williams</td><td>6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)</td><td>198 lb (90 kg)</td><td>1982-12-19</td><td>Alabama</td></tr></tbody></table>

Player statistics

2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MIN	FG%	FT%	3FG%	STL	BLK	AST	REB	PTS
LeBron James	76	76	35.6	52.0%	73.1%	30.9%	1.4	.60	6.8	7.4	25.3
Kyrie Irving	53	53	31.5	44.8%	88.5%	32.1%	1.1	.30	4.7	3.0	19.6
Kevin Love	77	77	31.5	41.9%	82.2%	36.0%	.80	.50	2.4	9.9	16.0
J.R. Smith	77	77	30.7	41.5%	63.4%	40.0%	1.1	.30	1.7	2.8	12.4
Tristan Thompson	82	34	27.7	58.8%	61.6%	0%	.50	.60	.6	9.0	7.8
Matthew Dellavedova	76	14	24.6	40.5%	86.4%	41.0%	.60	.10	4.4	2.1	7.5
Iman Shumpert	54	5	24.4	37.4%	78.4%	29.5%	1.0	.40	1.7	3.8	5.8
Mo Williams	41	14	18.2	43.7%	90.5%	35.3%	.30	.10	2.4	1.9	8.2
Richard Jefferson	74	5	17.9	45.8%	66.7%	38.2%	.40	.20	.8	1.7	5.5
Timofey Mozgov	76	48	17.4	56.5%	71.6%	14.3%	.30	.80	.4	4.4	6.3
Channing Frye	26	3	17.2	44.1%	78.6%	37.7%	.30	.30	1.0	3.6	7.5
Anderson Varejao	31	0	10.0	42.1%	76.2%	0%	.40	.20	.6	2.9	2.6
James Jones	48	0	9.6	40.8%	80.8%	39.4%	.20	.20	.3	1.0	3.7
Jared Cunningham	40	3	8.9	35.2%	62.5%	31.3%	.30	.10	.5	0.7	2.6
Jordan McRae	15	1	7.5	44.2%	69.2%	63.6%	.00	.10	1.0	0.8	4.1
Sasha Kaun	25	0	3.8	52.9%	45.5%	0%	.20	.20	.10	1.0	0.9
Joe Harris	5	0	3.0	25.0%	0%	25.0%	.00	.00	0.4	.6	0.6

Standings

2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

Eastern Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	c – Cleveland Cavaliers	57	25	.695	–	82
2	y – Toronto Raptors	56	26	.683	1.0	82
3	y – Miami Heat	48	34	.585	9.0	82
4	x – Atlanta Hawks	48	34	.585	9.0	82
5	x – Boston Celtics	48	34	.585	9.0	82
6	x – Charlotte Hornets	48	34	.585	9.0	82
7	x – Indiana Pacers	45	37	.549	12.0	82
8	x – Detroit Pistons	44	38	.537	13.0	82
9	e – Chicago Bulls	42	40	.512	15.0	82
10	e – Washington Wizards	41	41	.500	16.0	82
11	e – Orlando Magic	35	47	.427	22.0	82
12	e – Milwaukee Bucks	33	49	.402	24.0	82
13	e – New York Knicks	32	50	.390	25.0	82
14	e – Brooklyn Nets	21	61	.256	36.0	82
15	e – Philadelphia 76ers	10	72	.122	47.0	82

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
c – Cleveland Cavaliers	57	25	.695	–	33‍–‍8	24‍–‍17	8–8	82
x – Indiana Pacers	45	37	.549	12.0	26‍–‍15	19‍–‍22	8–8	82
x – Detroit Pistons	44	38	.537	13.0	26‍–‍15	18‍–‍23	10–6	82
e – Chicago Bulls	42	40	.512	15.0	26‍–‍15	16‍–‍25	10–6	82
e – Milwaukee Bucks	33	49	.402	24.0	23‍–‍18	10‍–‍31	4–12	82

Preseason

2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

2015 pre-season game log Total: 1–6 (Home: 1–4; Road: 0–2)
Pre-season: 1–6 (home: 1–4; road: 0–2)
Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
1	October 7 7:00 pm	Atlanta	96–98	J. R. Smith (15)	LeBron James (7)	LeBron James (5)	Cintas Center 10,250	0–1
2	October 8 7:00 pm	@ Philadelphia	114–115	Jared Cunningham (31)	Austin Daye (9)	Matthew Dellavedova (5)	Wells Fargo Center 8,229	0–2
3	October 12 7:00 pm	Memphis	81–91	LeBron James (14)	Anderson Varejão (7)	Matthew Dellavedova (4)	Schottenstein Center 18,073	0–3
4	October 13 7:00 pm	Milwaukee	101–110	Mo Williams (18)	Kaun, Williams (6)	Cook, Williams (4)	Quicken Loans Arena 18,624	0–4
5	October 15 7:00 pm	Indiana	85–107	Timofey Mozgov (16)	Anderson Varejão (7)	Jared Cunningham (6)	Quicken Loans Arena 18,774	0–5
6	October 18 8:00 pm	@ Toronto	81–87	Mo Williams (13)	Timofey Mozgov (11)	Dellavedova, Varejão (5)	Air Canada Centre 19,800	0–6
7	October 19 7:00 pm	Dallas	103–97	J. R. Smith (19)	Jack Cooley (15)	Cunningham, Dellavedova (5)	Quicken Loans Arena 18,768	1–6
2015–16 season schedule

Regular season game log

2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season

<table><thead><tr><th>2015–16 game log Total: 57–25 (Home: 33–8; Road: 24–17)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>October: 2–1 (home: 1–0; road: 1–1)</td></tr><tr><td>Game</td><td>Date</td><td>Team</td><td>Score</td><td>High points</td><td>High rebounds</td><td>High assists</td><td>Location Attendance</td><td>Record</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>October 27</td><td>@ Chicago</td><td>L 95–97</td><td>LeBron James (25)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (12)</td><td>Mo Williams (7)</td><td>United Center 21,957</td><td>0–1</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>October 28</td><td>@ Memphis</td><td>W 106–76</td><td>Kevin Love (17)</td><td>Kevin Love (13)</td><td>J. R. Smith (7)</td><td>FedExForum 18,119</td><td>1–1</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>October 30</td><td>Miami</td><td>W 102–92</td><td>LeBron James (29)</td><td>Kevin Love (14)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (10)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>2–1</td></tr><tr><td>November : 11–3 (home: 8–0; road: 3–3)</td></tr><tr><td>Game</td><td>Date</td><td>Team</td><td>Score</td><td>High points</td><td>High rebounds</td><td>High assists</td><td>Location Attendance</td><td>Record</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>November 2</td><td>@ Philadelphia</td><td>W 107–100</td><td>LeBron James (22)</td><td>James, Thompson (9)</td><td>LeBron James (11)</td><td>Wells Fargo Center 18,094</td><td>3–1</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>November 4</td><td>New York</td><td>W 96–86</td><td>LeBron James (23)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (13)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (7)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>4–1</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>November 6</td><td>Philadelphia</td><td>W 108–102</td><td>LeBron James (31)</td><td>Kevin Love (14)</td><td>LeBron James (13)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>5–1</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>November 8</td><td>Indiana</td><td>W 101–97</td><td>LeBron James (29)</td><td>Kevin Love (15)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (9)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>6–1</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>November 10</td><td>Utah</td><td>W 118–114</td><td>LeBron James (31)</td><td>Kevin Love (8)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>7–1</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>November 13</td><td>@ New York</td><td>W 90–84</td><td>LeBron James (31)</td><td>Kevin Love (11)</td><td>LeBron James (6)</td><td>Madison Square Garden 19,812</td><td>8–1</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>November 14</td><td>@ Milwaukee</td><td>L 105–108 (2OT)</td><td>LeBron James (37)</td><td>Kevin Love (14)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (7)</td><td>BMO Harris Bradley Center 18,717</td><td>8–2</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>November 17</td><td>@ Detroit</td><td>L 99–104</td><td>LeBron James (30)</td><td>Love, Thompson (9)</td><td>Mo Williams (7)</td><td>The Palace of Auburn Hills 18,442</td><td>8–3</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>November 19</td><td>Milwaukee</td><td>W 115–100</td><td>LeBron James (27)</td><td>Kevin Love (15)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (13)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>9–3</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>November 21</td><td>Atlanta</td><td>W 109–97</td><td>Kevin Love (25)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (16)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>10–3</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>November 23</td><td>Orlando</td><td>W 117–103</td><td>Kevin Love (34)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (14)</td><td>LeBron James (13)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>11–3</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>November 25</td><td>@ Toronto</td><td>L 99–103</td><td>LeBron James (24)</td><td>Kevin Love (13)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Air Canada Centre 20,140</td><td>11–4</td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>November 27</td><td>@ Charlotte</td><td>W 95–90</td><td>LeBron James (25)</td><td>Kevin Love (16)</td><td>James, Dellavedova (5)</td><td>Time Warner Cable Arena 19,093</td><td>12–4</td></tr><tr><td>17</td><td>November 28</td><td>Brooklyn</td><td>W 90–88</td><td>James, Love (26)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (11)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (6)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>13–4</td></tr><tr><td>December : 8–5 (home: 4–1; road: 4–4)</td></tr><tr><td>Game</td><td>Date</td><td>Team</td><td>Score</td><td>High points</td><td>High rebounds</td><td>High assists</td><td>Location Attendance</td><td>Record</td></tr><tr><td>18</td><td>December 1</td><td>Washington</td><td>L 85–97</td><td>LeBron James (24)</td><td>LeBron James (13)</td><td>LeBron James (4)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>13–5</td></tr><tr><td>19</td><td>December 4</td><td>@ New Orleans</td><td>L 108–114 (OT)</td><td>LeBron James (37)</td><td>Love, Thompson (10)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Smoothie King Center 17,906</td><td>13–6</td></tr><tr><td>20</td><td>December 5</td><td>@ Miami</td><td>L 84–99</td><td>Richard Jefferson (18)</td><td>Kevin Love (8)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (5)</td><td>American Airlines Arena 19,600</td><td>13–7</td></tr><tr><td>21</td><td>December 8</td><td>Portland</td><td>W 105–100</td><td>LeBron James (33)</td><td>LeBron James (10)</td><td>Kevin Love (4)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>14–7</td></tr><tr><td>22</td><td>December 11</td><td>@ Orlando</td><td>W 111–76</td><td>LeBron James (25)</td><td>Kevin Love (13)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Amway Center 17,239</td><td>15–7</td></tr><tr><td>23</td><td>December 15</td><td>@ Boston</td><td>W 89–77</td><td>LeBron James (24)</td><td>Timofey Mozgov (10)</td><td>Kevin Love (5)</td><td>TD Garden 18,624</td><td>16–7</td></tr><tr><td>24</td><td>December 17</td><td>Oklahoma City</td><td>W 104–100</td><td>LeBron James (33)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (15)</td><td>LeBron James (11)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>17–7</td></tr><tr><td>25</td><td>December 20</td><td>Philadelphia</td><td>W 108–86</td><td>LeBron James (23)</td><td>Timofey Mozgov (8)</td><td>Irving, James, Smith, Shumpert (4)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>18–7</td></tr><tr><td>26</td><td>December 23</td><td>New York</td><td>W 91–84</td><td>LeBron James (24)</td><td>Kevin Love (13)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (7)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>19–7</td></tr><tr><td>27</td><td>December 25</td><td>@ Golden State</td><td>L 83–89</td><td>LeBron James (25)</td><td>Kevin Love (18)</td><td>Kevin Love (4)</td><td>Oracle Arena 19,596</td><td>19–8</td></tr><tr><td>28</td><td>December 26</td><td>@ Portland</td><td>L 76–105</td><td>Kevin Love (13)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (11)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (6)</td><td>Moda Center 19,393</td><td>19–9</td></tr><tr><td>29</td><td>December 28</td><td>@ Phoenix</td><td>W 101–97</td><td>Kyrie Irving (22)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (10)</td><td>LeBron James (7)</td><td>Talking Stick Resort Arena 18,319</td><td>20–9</td></tr><tr><td>30</td><td>December 29</td><td>@ Denver</td><td>W 93–87</td><td>LeBron James (34)</td><td>Kevin Love (14)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (5)</td><td>Pepsi Center 17,523</td><td>21–9</td></tr><tr><td>January : 13–3 (home: 6–2; road: 7–1)</td></tr><tr><td>Game</td><td>Date</td><td>Team</td><td>Score</td><td>High points</td><td>High rebounds</td><td>High assists</td><td>Location Attendance</td><td>Record</td></tr><tr><td>31</td><td>January 2</td><td>Orlando</td><td>W 104–79</td><td>LeBron James (29)</td><td>Kevin Love (13)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (6)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>22–9</td></tr><tr><td>32</td><td>January 4</td><td>Toronto</td><td>W 122–100</td><td>Kyrie Irving (25)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (11)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (8)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>23–9</td></tr><tr><td>33</td><td>January 6</td><td>@ Washington</td><td>W 121–115</td><td>LeBron James (34)</td><td>LeBron James (10)</td><td>LeBron James (4)</td><td>Verizon Center 20,356</td><td>24–9</td></tr><tr><td>34</td><td>January 8</td><td>@ Minnesota</td><td>W 125–99</td><td>J.R. Smith (27)</td><td>LeBron James (12)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Target Center 16,768</td><td>25–9</td></tr><tr><td>35</td><td>January 10</td><td>@ Philadelphia</td><td>W 95–85</td><td>LeBron James (37)</td><td>Kevin Love (15)</td><td>LeBron James (9)</td><td>Wells Fargo Center 19,226</td><td>26–9</td></tr><tr><td>36</td><td>January 12</td><td>@ Dallas</td><td>W 110–107 (OT)</td><td>LeBron James (27)</td><td>Kevin Love (11)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (9)</td><td>American Airlines Center 20,347</td><td>27–9</td></tr><tr><td>37</td><td>January 14</td><td>@ San Antonio</td><td>L 95–99</td><td>LeBron James (22)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (11)</td><td>LeBron James (4)</td><td>AT&T Center 18,418</td><td>27–10</td></tr><tr><td>38</td><td>January 15</td><td>@ Houston</td><td>W 91–77</td><td>Kyrie Irving (23)</td><td>Kevin Love (13)</td><td>LeBron James (7)</td><td>Toyota Center 18,320</td><td>28–10</td></tr><tr><td>39</td><td>January 18</td><td>Golden State</td><td>L 98–132</td><td>LeBron James (16)</td><td>Kevin Love (6)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (6)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>28–11</td></tr><tr><td>40</td><td>January 20</td><td>@ Brooklyn</td><td>W 91–78</td><td>James, Love (17)</td><td>Kevin Love (18)</td><td>Irving, James (5)</td><td>Barclays Center 17,732</td><td>29–11</td></tr><tr><td>41</td><td>January 21</td><td>L.A. Clippers</td><td>W 115–102</td><td>James, Smith (22)</td><td>Kevin Love (16)</td><td>LeBron James (12)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>30–11</td></tr><tr><td>42</td><td>January 23</td><td>Chicago</td><td>L 83–96</td><td>LeBron James (26)</td><td>LeBron James (13)</td><td>LeBron James (9)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>30–12</td></tr><tr><td>43</td><td>January 25</td><td>Minnesota</td><td>W 114–107</td><td>LeBron James (25)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (12)</td><td>LeBron James (9)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>31–12</td></tr><tr><td>44</td><td>January 27</td><td>Phoenix</td><td>W 115–93</td><td>James, Love (21)</td><td>Kevin Love (11)</td><td>LeBron James (9)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>32–12</td></tr><tr><td>45</td><td>January 29</td><td>@ Detroit</td><td>W 114–106</td><td>Kevin Love (29)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (14)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,012</td><td>33–12</td></tr><tr><td>46</td><td>January 30</td><td>San Antonio</td><td>W 117–103</td><td>LeBron James (29)</td><td>Kevin Love (11)</td><td>LeBron James (7)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>34–12</td></tr><tr><td>February : 8–5 (home: 6–2; road: 2–3)</td></tr><tr><td>Game</td><td>Date</td><td>Team</td><td>Score</td><td>High points</td><td>High rebounds</td><td>High assists</td><td>Location Attendance</td><td>Record</td></tr><tr><td>47</td><td>February 1</td><td>@ Indiana</td><td>W 111–106 (OT)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (25)</td><td>James, Thompson (12)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (7)</td><td>Bankers Life Fieldhouse 17,283</td><td>35–12</td></tr><tr><td>48</td><td>February 3</td><td>@ Charlotte</td><td>L 97–106</td><td>Kyrie Irving (26)</td><td>Kevin Love (12)</td><td>LeBron James (6)</td><td>Time Warner Cable Arena 19,189</td><td>35–13</td></tr><tr><td>49</td><td>February 5</td><td>Boston</td><td>L 103–104</td><td>LeBron James (30)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (10)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (6)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>35–14</td></tr><tr><td>50</td><td>February 6</td><td>New Orleans</td><td>W 99–84</td><td>Kyrie Irving (29)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (15)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>36–14</td></tr><tr><td>51</td><td>February 8</td><td>Sacramento</td><td>W 120–100</td><td>Kyrie Irving (32)</td><td>James, Thompson (10)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (12)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>37–14</td></tr><tr><td>52</td><td>February 10</td><td>L.A. Lakers</td><td>W 120–111</td><td>Kyrie Irving (35)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (13)</td><td>LeBron James (11)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>38–14</td></tr><tr><td>All-Star Break</td></tr><tr><td>53</td><td>February 18</td><td>Chicago</td><td>W 106–95</td><td>LeBron James (25)</td><td>Kevin Love (12)</td><td>LeBron James (9)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>39–14</td></tr><tr><td>54</td><td>February 21</td><td>@ Oklahoma City</td><td>W 115–92</td><td>Kevin Love (29)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (11)</td><td>LeBron James (9)</td><td>Chesapeake Energy Arena 18,203</td><td>40–14</td></tr><tr><td>55</td><td>February 22</td><td>Detroit</td><td>L 88–96</td><td>Kyrie Irving (30)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Irving, James (5)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>40–15</td></tr><tr><td>56</td><td>February 24</td><td>Charlotte</td><td>W 114–103</td><td>Irving, James (23)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (10)</td><td>Dellavedova, James (7)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>41–15</td></tr><tr><td>57</td><td>February 26</td><td>@ Toronto</td><td>L 97–99</td><td>LeBron James (25)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (9)</td><td>LeBron James (7)</td><td>Air Canada Centre 19,800</td><td>41–16</td></tr><tr><td>58</td><td>February 28</td><td>@ Washington</td><td>L 99–115</td><td>Kyrie Irving (28)</td><td>Timofey Mozgov (10)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (6)</td><td>Verizon Center 20,356</td><td>41–17</td></tr><tr><td>59</td><td>February 29</td><td>Indiana</td><td>W 100–96</td><td>LeBron James (33)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (11)</td><td>Irving, Love (6)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>42–17</td></tr><tr><td>March : 11–5 (home: 6–2; road: 5–3)</td></tr><tr><td>Game</td><td>Date</td><td>Team</td><td>Score</td><td>High points</td><td>High rebounds</td><td>High assists</td><td>Location Attendance</td><td>Record</td></tr><tr><td>60</td><td>March 4</td><td>Washington</td><td>W 108–83</td><td>Kyrie Irving (21)</td><td>LeBron James (13)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (8)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>43–17</td></tr><tr><td>61</td><td>March 5</td><td>Boston</td><td>W 120–103</td><td>LeBron James (28)</td><td>Iman Shumpert (16)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>44–17</td></tr><tr><td>62</td><td>March 7</td><td>Memphis</td><td>L 103–106</td><td>LeBron James (28)</td><td>Kevin Love (11)</td><td>Irving, James (5)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>44–18</td></tr><tr><td>63</td><td>March 9</td><td>@ Sacramento</td><td>W 120–111</td><td>Kyrie Irving (30)</td><td>LeBron James (11)</td><td>LeBron James (6)</td><td>Sleep Train Arena 17,317</td><td>45–18</td></tr><tr><td>64</td><td>March 10</td><td>@ L.A. Lakers</td><td>W 120–108</td><td>Kyrie Irving (26)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (14)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (9)</td><td>Staples Center 18,997</td><td>46–18</td></tr><tr><td>65</td><td>March 13</td><td>@ L.A. Clippers</td><td>W 114–90</td><td>LeBron James (27)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (14)</td><td>Irving, James (5)</td><td>Staples Center 19,342</td><td>47–18</td></tr><tr><td>66</td><td>March 14</td><td>@ Utah</td><td>L 85–94</td><td>LeBron James (23)</td><td>LeBron James (12)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (5)</td><td>Vivint Smart Home Arena 19,911</td><td>47–19</td></tr><tr><td>67</td><td>March 16</td><td>Dallas</td><td>W 99–98</td><td>Kyrie Irving (33)</td><td>Kevin Love (18)</td><td>Matthew Dellavedova (7)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>48–19</td></tr><tr><td>68</td><td>March 18</td><td>@ Orlando</td><td>W 109–103</td><td>Kyrie Irving (26)</td><td>Tristan Thompson (15)</td><td>LeBron James (8)</td><td>Amway Center 18,046</td><td>49–19</td></tr><tr><td>69</td><td>March 19</td><td>@ Miami</td><td>L 101–122</td><td>LeBron James (26)</td><td>Frye, Jefferson, Mozgov (4)</td><td>Irving, Shumpert (4)</td><td>American Airlines Arena 19,737</td><td>49–20</td></tr><tr><td>70</td><td>March 21</td><td>Denver</td><td>W 124–91</td><td>LeBron James (33)</td><td>LeBron James (11)</td><td>LeBron James (11)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>50–20</td></tr><tr><td>71</td><td>March 23</td><td>Milwaukee</td><td>W 113–104</td><td>LeBron James (26)</td><td>Kevin Love (10)</td><td>Irving, James (8)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>51–20</td></tr><tr><td>72</td><td>March 24</td><td>@ Brooklyn</td><td>L 95–104</td><td>LeBron James (30)</td><td>Kevin Love (12)</td><td>LeBron James (5)</td><td>Barclays Center 17,732</td><td>51–21</td></tr><tr><td>73</td><td>March 26</td><td>@ New York</td><td>W 107–93</td><td>Kevin Love (28)</td><td>Kevin Love (12)</td><td>LeBron James (10)</td><td>Madison Square Garden 19,812</td><td>52–21</td></tr><tr><td>74</td><td>March 29</td><td>Houston</td><td>L 100–106</td><td>Kyrie Irving (31)</td><td>Kevin Love (11)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (8)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>52–22</td></tr><tr><td>75</td><td>March 31</td><td>Brooklyn</td><td>W 107–87</td><td>LeBron James (24)</td><td>Kevin Love (10)</td><td>LeBron James (11)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>53–22</td></tr><tr><td>April : 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2)</td></tr><tr><td>Game</td><td>Date</td><td>Team</td><td>Score</td><td>High points</td><td>High rebounds</td><td>High assists</td><td>Location Attendance</td><td>Record</td></tr><tr><td>76</td><td>April 1</td><td>@ Atlanta</td><td>W 110–108 (OT)</td><td>LeBron James (29)</td><td>LeBron James (16)</td><td>LeBron James (9)</td><td>Philips Arena 19,427</td><td>54–22</td></tr><tr><td>77</td><td>April 3</td><td>Charlotte</td><td>W 112–103</td><td>LeBron James (31)</td><td>Kevin Love (9)</td><td>LeBron James (12)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>55–22</td></tr><tr><td>78</td><td>April 5</td><td>@ Milwaukee</td><td>W 109–80</td><td>J. R. Smith (21)</td><td>Kevin Love (9)</td><td>LeBron James (9)</td><td>BMO Harris Bradley Center 15,061</td><td>56–22</td></tr><tr><td>79</td><td>April 6</td><td>@ Indiana</td><td>L 109–123</td><td>Kyrie Irving (26)</td><td>Kevin Love (5)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (6)</td><td>Bankers Life Fieldhouse 18,165</td><td>56–23</td></tr><tr><td>80</td><td>April 9</td><td>@ Chicago</td><td>L 102–105</td><td>LeBron James (33)</td><td>Kevin Love (13)</td><td>Kyrie Irving (8)</td><td>United Center 22,186</td><td>56–24</td></tr><tr><td>81</td><td>April 11</td><td>Atlanta</td><td>W 109–94</td><td>Kyrie Irving (35)</td><td>Kevin Love (14)</td><td>LeBron James (6)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>57–24</td></tr><tr><td>82</td><td>April 13</td><td>Detroit</td><td>L 110–112 (OT)</td><td>Jordan McRae (36)</td><td>Timofey Mozgov (12)</td><td>Jordan McRae (7)</td><td>Quicken Loans Arena 20,562</td><td>57–25</td></tr><tr><td>2015–16 season schedule</td></tr></tbody></table>

Playoffs

Game log

2016 playoff game log Total: 16–5 (Home: 9–1; Road: 7–4)
First Round: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	April 17	Detroit	W 106–101	Kyrie Irving (31)	Kevin Love (13)	LeBron James (11)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	1–0
2	April 20	Detroit	W 107–90	LeBron James (27)	Kevin Love (10)	Matthew Dellavedova (9)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	2–0
3	April 22	@ Detroit	W 101–91	Kyrie Irving (26)	LeBron James (13)	LeBron James (7)	The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,584	3–0
4	April 24	@ Detroit	W 100–98	Kyrie Irving (31)	Kevin Love (13)	LeBron James (6)	The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,584	4–0
Conference Semifinals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	May 2	Atlanta	W 104–93	LeBron James (25)	Tristan Thompson (14)	LeBron James (9)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	1–0
2	May 4	Atlanta	W 123–98	LeBron James (27)	Kevin Love (13)	Dellavedova, Irving (6)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	2–0
3	May 6	@ Atlanta	W 121–108	Channing Frye (27)	Kevin Love (15)	LeBron James (8)	Philips Arena 19,089	3–0
4	May 8	@ Atlanta	W 100–99	Kevin Love (27)	Kevin Love (13)	LeBron James (9)	Philips Arena 19,031	4–0
Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	May 17	Toronto	W 115–84	Kyrie Irving (27)	Richard Jefferson (11)	Kyrie Irving (5)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	1–0
2	May 19	Toronto	W 108–89	Kyrie Irving (26)	Tristan Thompson (12)	LeBron James (11)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	2–0
3	May 21	@ Toronto	L 84–99	LeBron James (24)	James, Thompson (8)	LeBron James (5)	Air Canada Centre 20,207	2–1
4	May 23	@ Toronto	L 99–105	LeBron James (29)	James, Thompson (9)	Irving, James (6)	Air Canada Centre 20,367	2–2
5	May 25	Toronto	W 116–78	Kevin Love (25)	Tristan Thompson (10)	LeBron James (8)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	3–2
6	May 27	@ Toronto	W 113–87	LeBron James (33)	Kevin Love (12)	Kyrie Irving (9)	Air Canada Centre 20,605	4–2
NBA Finals: 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2)
Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	June 2	@ Golden State	L 89–104	Kyrie Irving (26)	Kevin Love (13)	LeBron James (9)	Oracle Arena 19,596	0–1
2	June 5	@ Golden State	L 77–110	LeBron James (19)	LeBron James (8)	LeBron James (9)	Oracle Arena 19,596	0–2
3	June 8	Golden State	W 120–90	LeBron James (32)	Tristan Thompson (13)	Kyrie Irving (8)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	1–2
4	June 10	Golden State	L 97–108	Kyrie Irving (34)	LeBron James (13)	LeBron James (9)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	1–3
5	June 13	@ Golden State	W 112–97	James, Irving (41)	LeBron James (16)	LeBron James (7)	Oracle Arena 19,596	2–3
6	June 16	Golden State	W 115–101	LeBron James (41)	Tristan Thompson (16)	LeBron James (11)	Quicken Loans Arena 20,562	3–3
7	June 19	@ Golden State	W 93–89	LeBron James (27)	Kevin Love (14)	LeBron James (11)	Oracle Arena 19,596	4–3
2016 playoff schedule

Transactions

Trades

<table><thead><tr><th>June 25, 2015</th><th>To Cleveland CavaliersRakeem Christmas Cedi Osman 2019 Second Round Pick</th><th>To Minnesota TimberwolvesTyus Jones</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>July 23, 2015</td><td>To Cleveland Cavaliers2019 Second Round Pick</td><td>To Indiana PacersRakeem Christmas</td></tr><tr><td>July 27, 2015</td><td>To Cleveland CavaliersTwo Trade Exceptions</td><td>To Portland Trail BlazersMike Miller Brendan Haywood 2019 & 2020 Second Round Pick</td></tr><tr><td>January 12, 2016</td><td>To Cleveland Cavaliers2020 Second Round Pick</td><td>To Orlando MagicJoe Harris 2017 Second Round Pick</td></tr><tr><td>February 18, 2016</td><td>To Cleveland CavaliersSecond Round Pick</td><td>To Portland Trail BlazersAnderson Varejão First Round Pick</td></tr><tr><td>February 18, 2016</td><td>To Cleveland CavaliersChanning Frye</td><td>To Orlando MagicJared Cunningham Second Round Pick</td></tr></tbody></table>

Re-signed

Player	Signed	Former Team
Iman Shumpert	Signed 4-year contract worth $40 million	Cleveland Cavaliers
Kevin Love	Signed 5-year contract worth $110 million	Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James	Signed 2-year contract worth $47.9 million	Cleveland Cavaliers
James Jones	Signed 1-year contract worth $1.5 million	Cleveland Cavaliers
Matthew Dellavedova	Signed 1-year contract worth $1.2 million	Cleveland Cavaliers
J. R. Smith	Signed 2-year contract worth $10 million	Cleveland Cavaliers
Tristan Thompson	Signed 5-year contract worth $82 million	Cleveland Cavaliers

Additions

Player	Signed	Former Team
Mo Williams	Signed 2-year contract worth $4 million	Charlotte Hornets
Richard Jefferson	Signed 1-year contract worth $1.5 million	Dallas Mavericks
Sasha Kaun	Signed 2-year contract	CSKA Moscow
Jordan McRae	Signed 2-year contract	Delaware 87ers / Phoenix Suns

Subtractions

Player	Reason Left	New Team
Shawn Marion	Retired	—N/a (Retired)
Kendrick Perkins	Signed 1-year contract worth $1.5 million	New Orleans Pelicans
David Blatt (Head coach)	Fired	Darüşşafaka Doğuş

Awards, records and milestones

Awards

Recipient	Award	Date awarded	Ref.
LeBron James	Eastern Conference Player of the Week	November 23, 2015
LeBron James	Eastern Conference Player of the Week	January 11, 2016
LeBron James	NBA All-Star starter (12th appearance)	January 21, 2016
Tyronn Lue	NBA All-Star Game head coach	January 27, 2016
LeBron James	Eastern Conference Player of the Month (February)	March 3, 2016
LeBron James	Eastern Conference Player of the Week	March 7, 2016
LeBron James	Eastern Conference Player of the Week	March 28, 2016
LeBron James	Eastern Conference Player of the Week	April 4, 2016
LeBron James	Eastern Conference Player of the Month (March)	April 5, 2016
LeBron James	Eastern Conference Player of the Month (April)	April 15, 2016
LeBron James	All-NBA First Team	May 26, 2016
LeBron James	NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award	June 19, 2016
LeBron James	Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year	December 1, 2016
LeBron James	Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year	December 27, 2016

Records

• JR Smith set franchise records in: • Three-point field goals in a season: (204) • Three-point field goal attempts in a season: (510) • Turnover percentage in a season: (6.3%) • Three-point field goals in a postseason: (65) • Tristan Thompson set a franchise record in: • Offensive rating in a season: (129.8)

Milestones

• On March 29, Tristan Thompson broke the franchise record of consecutive games with the Cavs, appearing in his 362nd consecutive game. • The Cavs finished the season first in the Eastern Conference for the first time since (/wiki/2009-10ClevelandCavaliersseason). • The Cavs finished first in the Central Division for the second straight season. • The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 deficit and win the NBA Finals. • The Cavs won the 2016 NBA Finals, ending the city's 52-year championship drought. • LeBron James famously blocked Andre Iguodala in Game 7. This has been called one of the best plays of his career. • LeBron James became the third player in NBA history to record a triple-double in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. • James also became the first player in NBA history to lead both NBA Finals teams in all five statistical categories for the round.