The 2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 46th season of the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

franchise in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(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 The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in four games in the first round, then swept the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

in four games in the Semi-finals, before finally defeating the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

in six games in the Conference Finals to reach the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

for a second consecutive year. There, the Cavaliers faced off against the defending NBA champion

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

, 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

in the

2016 NBA Finals The 2016 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 NBA season, 2015–16 season and conclusion of the 2016 NBA playoffs, season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven series, and a rema ...

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 Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

since 1964, ending a 52–year championship drought dating back to the 1964 NFL title won by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. The Cleveland Cavaliers would be the first NBA champion to represent the Central Division since the 2003–04 Detroit Pistons.

Regular season summary

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 Tyronn Jamar Lue ( ; born May 3, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He formerly served as the head coach of the Clev ...

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

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Postseason summary

In the 2016 NBA Playoffs' first round, the

matched up against the 8th seed

. 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 LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

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,

, for their second series in the 2015-2016 post-season. Similar to their last series, they swept their opponents 4–0.

Lebron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

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

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

. He averaged 26 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in the 6-game series. The Cavaliers were off to face the

in the NBA finals. They were considered huge underdogs because the

Warriors A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

had accomplished an incredible feat in the regular season, seventy-three wins and nine losses, the best record ever in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. The Cavaliers lost three of the first four games of the

to the

, 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,

chased down and blocked

Andre Iguodala Andre Tyler Iguodala ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and was named to the NBA All ...

'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 The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

in franchise history. Until then, no team had recovered from a 3–1 deficit in an

series. James was named the unanimous

NBA Finals MVP The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven medi ...

, 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

won an NFL season. When the game ended, it was visible the sense of relief that the players felt. Lebron James was the star of the show, and he could not hold his tears back. When he finally got the strength to stand up, the only thing that he was able to say was, "Cleveland, this is for you," as the Oracle Arena blasted with cheers from Cleveland fans. Not only was this a monumental win for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it also cemented Lebron James as one of the all-time greats of the NBA. Prior to this ring, he had only won with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. The win in Cleveland was undoubtedly one of the best basketball performances the NBA has ever seen.

Draft picks

Roster

Player statistics

Regular season

Standings

Preseason

, - style="background-color:#fbb;" , 1 , October 7
7:00 pm ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

96–98
, J. R. Smith (15) ,

(7) ,

(5) , Cintas Center
10,250 , 0–1 , - style="background-color:#fbb;" , 2 , October 8
7:00 pm , @

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

114–115
,

Jared Cunningham Jared Armon Cunningham (born May 22, 1991) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Oregon State, where he was an All-Pac-12 first team selection before being selected with the 24th overall pick in the 20 ...

(31) ,

Austin Daye Austin Darren Daye (born June 5, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for New Taipei Kings of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He played college basketball for Gonzaga before being drafted 15th overall by the Det ...

(9) ,

Matthew Dellavedova Matthew William Dellavedova (born 8 September 1990) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Saint Mar ...

(5) ,

Wells Fargo Center Wells Fargo Center may refer to: * Wells Fargo Center (Los Angeles), California * Wells Fargo Center (Sacramento), California * Wells Fargo Center (San Francisco), California * Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, California * Wells Fargo C ...

8,229 , 0–2 , - style="background-color:#fbb;" , 3 , October 12
7:00 pm , Memphis
81–91
,

(14) , Anderson Varejão (7) ,

(4) , Schottenstein Center
18,073 , 0–3 , - style="background-color:#fbb;" , 4 , October 13
7:00 pm ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

101–110
, Mo Williams (18) , Kaun, Williams (6) ,

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (profession), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * C ...

, Williams (4) ,

Quicken Loans Arena Rocket Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). It also serves as a sec ...

18,624 , 0–4 , - style="background-color:#fbb;" , 5 , October 15
7:00 pm ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

85–107
, Timofey Mozgov (16) , Anderson Varejão (7) ,

(6) ,

18,774 , 0–5 , - style="background-color:#fbb;" , 6 , October 18
8:00 pm , @

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

81–87
, Mo Williams (13) , Timofey Mozgov (11) , Dellavedova, Varejão (5) ,

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

19,800 , 0–6 , - style="background-color:#bfb;" , 7 , October 19
7:00 pm ,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

103–97
, J. R. Smith (19) , Jack Cooley (15) ,

Cunningham Cunningham is a surname of Scottish origin, see Clan Cunningham. Notable people sharing this surname A–C *Aaron Cunningham (born 1986), American baseball player * Abe Cunningham, American drummer *Adrian Cunningham (born 1960), Australian ...

, Dellavedova (5) ,

18,768 , 1–6

Regular season game log

, - style="background:#fbb;" , 1 , October 27 , @

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, ,

(25) , Tristan Thompson (12) , Mo Williams (7) ,

United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

21,957 , 0–1 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 2 , October 28 , @ Memphis , , Kevin Love (17) , Kevin Love (13) , J. R. Smith (7) ,

FedExForum FedExForum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It is the home of the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the NCAA Division I Memphis Tigers men's ba ...

18,119 , 1–1 , -style="background:#bfb;" , 3 , October 30 ,

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, ,

(29) , Kevin Love (14) ,

(10) ,

20,562 , 2–1 , -style="background:#bfb;" , 4 , November 2 , @

, ,

(22) , James, Thompson (9) ,

(11) ,

18,094 , 3–1 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 5 , November 4 ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, ,

(23) , Tristan Thompson (13) ,

(7) ,

20,562 , 4–1 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 6 , November 6 ,

, ,

(31) , Kevin Love (14) ,

(13) ,

20,562 , 5–1 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 7 , November 8 ,

, ,

(29) , Kevin Love (15) ,

(9) ,

20,562 , 6–1 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 8 , November 10 ,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, ,

(31) , Kevin Love (8) ,

(8) ,

20,562 , 7–1 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 9 , November 13 , @

, ,

(31) , Kevin Love (11) ,

(6) ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

19,812 , 8–1 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 10 , November 14 , @

, ,

(37) , Kevin Love (14) ,

(7) ,

BMO Harris Bradley Center The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in Neighborhoods of Milwaukee#Downtown, d ...

18,717 , 8–2 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 11 , November 17 , @

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, ,

(30) ,

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

, Thompson (9) , Mo Williams (7) ,

The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

18,442 , 8–3 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 12 , November 19 ,

, ,

(27) , Kevin Love (15) ,

(13) ,

20,562 , 9–3 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 13 , November 21 ,

, , Kevin Love (25) , Tristan Thompson (16) ,

(8) ,

20,562 , 10–3 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 14 , November 23 ,

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, , Kevin Love (34) , Tristan Thompson (14) ,

(13) ,

20,562 , 11–3 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 15 , November 25 , @

, ,

(24) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(8) ,

20,140 , 11–4 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 16 , November 27 , @ Charlotte , ,

(25) , Kevin Love (16) , James, Dellavedova (5) , Time Warner Cable Arena
19,093 , 12–4 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 17 , November 28 ,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, , James,

(26) , Tristan Thompson (11) ,

(6) ,

20,562 , 13–4 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 18 , December 1 ,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, ,

(24) ,

(13) ,

(4) ,

20,562 , 13–5 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 19 , December 4 , @

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, ,

(37) ,

, Thompson (10) ,

(8) , Smoothie King Center
17,906 , 13–6 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 20 , December 5 , @

, ,

Richard Jefferson Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. (born June 21, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played small forward. He played for eight teams in his 17-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jefferson playe ...

(18) , Kevin Love (8) ,

(5) ,

American Airlines Arena Kaseya Center is a multi-purpose arena on Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. The arena is home to the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. The arena was previously named American Airlines Arena from opening in 1999 until 2021, FTX ...

19,600 , 13–7 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 21 , December 8 ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, ,

(33) ,

(10) , Kevin Love (4) ,

20,562 , 14–7 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 22 , December 11 , @

, ,

(25) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(8) ,

Amway Center Kia Center (formerly Amway Center) is an indoor arena located in the Downtown Orlando, downtown core of Orlando, Florida. The arena is home to the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, ...

17,239 , 15–7 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 23 , December 15 , @

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, ,

(24) , Timofey Mozgov (10) , Kevin Love (5) ,

TD Garden TD Garden (named the FleetCenter from opening until 2005 and TD Banknorth Garden until 2009) is a multi-purpose arena in Boston. It is located directly above the MBTA's North Station, and it replaced the original Boston Garden upon opening i ...

18,624 , 16–7 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 24 , December 17 ,

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, ,

(33) , Tristan Thompson (15) ,

(11) ,

20,562 , 17–7 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 25 , December 20 ,

, ,

(23) , Timofey Mozgov (8) , Irving, James,

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

, Shumpert (4) ,

20,562 , 18–7 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 26 , December 23 ,

, ,

(24) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(7) ,

20,562 , 19–7 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 27 , December 25 , @ Golden State , ,

(25) , Kevin Love (18) , Kevin Love (4) , Oracle Arena
19,596 , 19–8 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 28 , December 26 , @

, , Kevin Love (13) , Tristan Thompson (11) ,

(6) ,

Moda Center Moda Center, formerly known as the Rose Garden, is the primary indoor sports arena in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is used for basketball, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, concerts, and dramatic productions. The arena has a capa ...

19,393 , 19–9 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 29 , December 28 , @ Phoenix , , Kyrie Irving (22) , Tristan Thompson (10) ,

(7) ,

Talking Stick Resort Arena The PHX Arena (formerly America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix Suns Arena and Footprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened under the name America West Arena on June 6, 1992, at ...

18,319 , 20–9 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 30 , December 29 , @

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, ,

(34) , Kevin Love (14) ,

(5) ,

Pepsi Center Ball Arena (formerly known as the Pepsi Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits off Int ...

17,523 , 21–9 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 31 , January 2 ,

, ,

(29) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(6) ,

20,562 , 22–9 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 32 , January 4 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (25) , Tristan Thompson (11) , Kyrie Irving (8) ,

20,562 , 23–9 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 33 , January 6 , @

, ,

(34) ,

(10) ,

(4) , Verizon Center
20,356 , 24–9 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 34 , January 8 , @

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, , J.R. Smith (27) ,

(12) ,

(8) ,

Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, h ...

16,768 , 25–9 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 35 , January 10 , @

, ,

(37) , Kevin Love (15) ,

(9) ,

19,226 , 26–9 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 36 , January 12 , @

, ,

(27) , Kevin Love (11) , Kyrie Irving (9) ,

American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose List of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in the Victory Park, Dallas, Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National ...

20,347 , 27–9 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 37 , January 14 , @

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, ,

(22) , Tristan Thompson (11) ,

(4) , AT&T Center
18,418 , 27–10 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 38 , January 15 , @

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, , Kyrie Irving (23) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(7) ,

Toyota Center Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in Houston, Texas, United States. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and it was once th ...

18,320 , 28–10 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 39 , January 18 , Golden State , ,

(16) , Kevin Love (6) ,

(6) ,

20,562 , 28–11 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 40 , January 20 , @

, , James,

(17) , Kevin Love (18) , Irving, James (5) ,

Barclays Center Barclays Center ( ) is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liber ...

17,732 , 29–11 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 41 , January 21 , L.A. Clippers , , James,

(22) , Kevin Love (16) ,

(12) ,

20,562 , 30–11 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 42 , January 23 ,

, ,

(26) ,

(13) ,

(9) ,

20,562 , 30–12 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 43 , January 25 ,

, ,

(25) , Tristan Thompson (12) ,

(9) ,

20,562 , 31–12 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 44 , January 27 , Phoenix , , James,

(21) , Kevin Love (11) ,

(9) ,

20,562 , 32–12 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 45 , January 29 , @

, , Kevin Love (29) , Tristan Thompson (14) ,

(8) ,

21,012 , 33–12 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 46 , January 30 ,

, ,

(29) , Kevin Love (11) ,

(7) ,

20,562 , 34–12 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 47 , February 1 , @

, , Kyrie Irving (25) , James, Thompson (12) , Kyrie Irving (7) ,

Bankers Life Fieldhouse Gainbridge Fieldhouse is an indoor arena located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena. The arena is the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

17,283 , 35–12 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 48 , February 3 , @ Charlotte , , Kyrie Irving (26) , Kevin Love (12) ,

(6) , Time Warner Cable Arena
19,189 , 35–13 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 49 , February 5 ,

, ,

(30) , Tristan Thompson (10) , Kyrie Irving (6) ,

20,562 , 35–14 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 50 , February 6 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (29) , Tristan Thompson (15) ,

(8) ,

20,562 , 36–14 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 51 , February 8 ,

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, , Kyrie Irving (32) , James, Thompson (10) , Kyrie Irving (12) ,

20,562 , 37–14 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 52 , February 10 , L.A. Lakers , , Kyrie Irving (35) , Tristan Thompson (13) ,

(11) ,

20,562 , 38–14 , - align="center" , colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff", All-Star Break , - style="background:#bfb;" , 53 , February 18 ,

, ,

(25) , Kevin Love (12) ,

(9) ,

20,562 , 39–14 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 54 , February 21 , @

, , Kevin Love (29) , Tristan Thompson (11) ,

(9) ,

Chesapeake Energy Arena Paycom Center (originally known as the Ford Center from 2002 to 2010, Oklahoma City Arena from 2010 to 2011, and Chesapeake Energy Arena from 2011 to 2021) is an arena located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It opened in 200 ...

18,203 , 40–14 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 55 , February 22 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (30) ,

(8) , Irving, James (5) ,

20,562 , 40–15 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 56 , February 24 , Charlotte , , Irving, James (23) , Tristan Thompson (10) , Dellavedova, James (7) ,

20,562 , 41–15 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 57 , February 26 , @

, ,

(25) , Tristan Thompson (9) ,

(7) ,

19,800 , 41–16 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 58 , February 28 , @

, , Kyrie Irving (28) , Timofey Mozgov (10) , Kyrie Irving (6) , Verizon Center
20,356 , 41–17 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 59 , February 29 ,

, ,

(33) , Tristan Thompson (11) , Irving,

(6) ,

20,562 , 42–17 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 60 , March 4 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (21) ,

(13) , Kyrie Irving (8) ,

20,562 , 43–17 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 61 , March 5 ,

, ,

(28) , Iman Shumpert (16) ,

(8) ,

20,562 , 44–17 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 62 , March 7 , Memphis , ,

(28) , Kevin Love (11) , Irving, James (5) ,

20,562 , 44–18 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 63 , March 9 , @

, , Kyrie Irving (30) ,

(11) ,

(6) , Sleep Train Arena
17,317 , 45–18 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 64 , March 10 , @ L.A. Lakers , , Kyrie Irving (26) , Tristan Thompson (14) , Kyrie Irving (9) ,

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

18,997 , 46–18 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 65 , March 13 , @ L.A. Clippers , ,

(27) , Tristan Thompson (14) , Irving, James (5) ,

19,342 , 47–18 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 66 , March 14 , @

, ,

(23) ,

(12) ,

(5) ,

Vivint Smart Home Arena The Delta Center is an indoor venue in Salt Lake City. Opened in 1991, the arena is the home of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). The arena has a seating capacity ...

19,911 , 47–19 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 67 , March 16 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (33) , Kevin Love (18) ,

(7) ,

20,562 , 48–19 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 68 , March 18 , @

, , Kyrie Irving (26) , Tristan Thompson (15) ,

(8) ,

18,046 , 49–19 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 69 , March 19 , @

, ,

(26) , Frye, Jefferson, Mozgov (4) , Irving, Shumpert (4) ,

19,737 , 49–20 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 70 , March 21 ,

, ,

(33) ,

(11) ,

20,562 , 50–20 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 71 , March 23 ,

, ,

(26) , Kevin Love (10) , Irving, James (8) ,

20,562 , 51–20 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 72 , March 24 , @

, ,

(30) , Kevin Love (12) ,

(5) ,

17,732 , 51–21 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 73 , March 26 , @

, , Kevin Love (28) , Kevin Love (12) ,

(10) ,

19,812 , 52–21 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 74 , March 29 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (31) , Kevin Love (11) , Kyrie Irving (8) ,

20,562 , 52–22 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 75 , March 31 ,

, ,

(24) , Kevin Love (10) ,

(11) ,

20,562 , 53–22 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 76 , April 1 , @

, ,

(29) ,

(16) ,

(9) ,

Philips Arena State Farm Arena is a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also served as home to the Atlanta Thrasher ...

19,427 , 54–22 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 77 , April 3 , Charlotte , ,

(31) , Kevin Love (9) ,

(12) ,

20,562 , 55–22 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 78 , April 5 , @

, , J. R. Smith (21) , Kevin Love (9) ,

(9) ,

15,061 , 56–22 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 79 , April 6 , @

, , Kyrie Irving (26) , Kevin Love (5) , Kyrie Irving (6) ,

18,165 , 56–23 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 80 , April 9 , @

, ,

(33) , Kevin Love (13) , Kyrie Irving (8) ,

22,186 , 56–24 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 81 , April 11 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (35) , Kevin Love (14) ,

(6) ,

20,562 , 57–24 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 82 , April 13 ,

, , Jordan McRae (36) , Timofey Mozgov (12) , Jordan McRae (7) ,

20,562 , 57–25

Playoffs

Game log

, - bgcolor=bbffbb , 1 , April 17 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (31) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(11) ,

20,562 , 1–0 , - bgcolor=bbffbb , 2 , April 20 ,

, ,

(27) , Kevin Love (10) ,

(9) ,

20,562 , 2–0 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 3 , April 22 , @

, , Kyrie Irving (26) ,

(13) ,

(7) ,

21,584 , 3–0 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 4 , April 24 , @

, , Kyrie Irving (31) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(6) ,

21,584 , 4–0 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 1 , May 2 ,

, ,

(25) , Tristan Thompson (14) ,

(9) ,

20,562 , 1–0 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 2 , May 4 ,

, ,

(27) , Kevin Love (13) , Dellavedova, Irving (6) ,

20,562 , 2–0 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 3 , May 6 , @

, , Channing Frye (27) , Kevin Love (15) ,

(8) ,

19,089 , 3–0 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 4 , May 8 , @

, , Kevin Love (27) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(9) ,

19,031 , 4–0 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 1 , May 17 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (27) ,

(11) , Kyrie Irving (5) ,

20,562 , 1–0 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 2 , May 19 ,

, , Kyrie Irving (26) , Tristan Thompson (12) ,

(11) ,

20,562 , 2–0 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 3 , May 21 , @

, ,

(24) , James, Thompson (8) ,

(5) ,

20,207 , 2–1 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 4 , May 23 , @

, ,

(29) , James, Thompson (9) , Irving, James (6) ,

20,367 , 2–2 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 5 , May 25 ,

, , Kevin Love (25) , Tristan Thompson (10) ,

(8) ,

20,562 , 3–2 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 6 , May 27 , @

, ,

(33) , Kevin Love (12) , Kyrie Irving (9) ,

20,605 , 4–2 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 1 , June 2 , @ Golden State , , Kyrie Irving (26) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(9) , Oracle Arena
19,596 , 0–1 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2 , June 5 , @ Golden State , ,

(19) ,

(8) ,

(9) , Oracle Arena
19,596 , 0–2 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 3 , June 8 , Golden State , ,

(32) , Tristan Thompson (13) , Kyrie Irving (8) ,

20,562 , 1–2 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 4 , June 10 , Golden State , , Kyrie Irving (34) ,

(13) ,

(9) ,

20,562 , 1–3 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 5 , June 13 , @ Golden State , , James, Irving (41) ,

(16) ,

(7) , Oracle Arena
19,596 , 2–3 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 6 , June 16 , Golden State , ,

(41) , Tristan Thompson (16) ,

(11) ,

20,562 , 3–3 , - style="background:#bfb;" , 7 , June 19 , @ Golden State , ,

(27) , Kevin Love (14) ,

(11) , Oracle Arena
19,596 , 4–3 , - style="background:#bfb;"

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Re-signed

Additions

Subtractions

Awards, records and milestones

Awards

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

. * 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

. * The Cavs won the

, 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. *

became the third player in NBA history to record a triple-double in Game 7 of the

. * James also became the first player in NBA history to lead both NBA Finals teams in all five statistical categories for the round.

References

Notes

:1. Varejão never played a single game for Portland.

External links

What Will 2015-2016 Look Like for the Cavaliers
{{DEFAULTSORT:2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers season Cleveland Cavaliers seasons

Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons NBA championship seasons