2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers season

The 2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 39th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They finished the regular season with 66 wins and 16 losses, easily surpassing the previous franchise best of 57–25 from the 1988–89 and 1991–92 seasons.

2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers season
Division champions
Head coachMike Brown
ArenaQuicken Loans Arena
Results
Record66–16 (.805)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Central)
Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishEastern Conference Finals
(Lost to Magic 2–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioWTAM

In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in the First Round in four games, swept the Atlanta Hawks in the Semifinals in four games, before losing to the Orlando Magic in the Conference Finals in six games. The Magic would go on to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals in five games. Prior to their elimination by the Magic, many had expected the Cavs to appear in the Finals, which would’ve also been LeBron James and Kobe Bryant’s first head-to-head meeting in the Finals.

Key dates
  • June 26: The 2008 NBA draft took place in New York City.
  • July 1: The [Free agency] period started.
  • On October 7, the Cavaliers' pre-season began with an 84–104 loss to Toronto Raptors.
  • On October 28, the Cavaliers' regular season started with an 85–90 loss at the Boston Celtics.
  • On October 30, the Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Bobcats 96–79 for their first win in their home opener.
  • On November 8, the Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 106–97 to improve their record to 5-2 and take over first place in the Central Division.
  • On November 18, the Cavaliers beat the New Jersey Nets 106–82 for their then season-high eighth straight win and improved their record to a then season high seven games over .500 (9-2).
  • On December 3, the Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks 118–82 to set a franchise record by starting the season with ten straight home wins.
  • On December 9, the Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 114–94 to set an NBA record by winning nine straight games by 12 or more points.
  • On December 12, the Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 88–72 for their season best 11th straight win (which tied a franchise record), to improve to a then season high seventeen games over .500, their best 23 game start in franchise history (20-3), and to improve their franchise record by starting the season with thirteen straight home wins.
  • On December 28, the Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 93–86 to improve to a season high 22 games over .500, their best 30 game start in franchise history (26–4), and to improve their franchise record by starting the season with 16 straight home wins.
  • On January 7, the Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Bobcats 111–81 for their best 34 game start in franchise history (28–6), to improve their franchise record by starting the season with 18 straight home wins, to take over first place in the Eastern Conference and to take a share of the best record in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers.
  • On January 9, the Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics 98–83 to improve to a season high 23 games over .500, their best 35 game start in franchise history (29–6), and to improve their franchise record by starting the season with 19 straight home wins.
  • On January 23, the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors 106–105 to improve to a season high 25 games over .500, their best 41 game start in franchise history (33–8).
  • On February 3, the Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 101–83 to get their franchise record 23rd straight home victory, and improved to 38–9 overall on the season.
  • On February 8, the Cavaliers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 91–101, their first home loss of the year, dropping to 23–1 at home and 39-10 overall on the season.
  • On February 10, the Cavaliers lost to the Indiana Pacers 95–96, marking their first consecutive losses of the season.
  • On March 2, the Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 107–100, improving to 47-12 and marking the first time in franchise history the team was 35 games over .500.
  • On March 4, the Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 91–73, becoming the first team in the league to clinch a playoff berth.
  • On March 13, the Cavaliers beat the Sacramento Kings 126–123, clinching the Central Division title: their first since the 1975–76 season and their second in franchise history.
  • On March 19, the Cavaliers tied an NBA record by committing just 2 turnovers in a 97–92 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
  • On March 24, the Cavaliers beat the New Jersey Nets 98–87, improving their record to 58–13 and setting a franchise record for wins in a season.
  • On March 31, the Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 79–73, extending their winning streak to a new franchise record 13 wins in a row, setting a new franchise record and tying an NBA record for wins in any month by improving to 16–1 in March, and extending their franchise record for wins in a season, improving to 61–13.
  • On April 10, the Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102–92, clinching the best record in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history.
  • On April 13, the Cavaliers beat the Indiana Pacers 117–109, clinching the best record in the NBA and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, the first time ever the Cavaliers have done so.
  • On April 15, the Cavaliers concluded their regular season with a 111–110 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in OT. They finished the season 66–16, going 39–2 at home and 27–14 on the road. Their home record was the second-best in NBA history.
  • On April 26, the Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs by defeating the Detroit Pistons four games to none.
  • On May 9, the Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 97–82 and became the first team in NBA history to win seven consecutive playoff games by a double-digit margin.
  • On May 11, the Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 84–74, earning a spot in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. It was also the first time in franchise history they swept two consecutive playoff series.
  • On May 30, the Cavs' season ended when they lost to the Orlando Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 103–90, in Orlando. The Magic took Game 1 in Cleveland with a 1-point victory and went on to win the series 4-2 before going on to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers 4–1 in the NBA Finals. 8 of the last 9 eastern conference No 1 seeded teams have been beaten in the Conference Finals.

Offseason

On June 26, 2008, the Cavaliers acquired the draft rights to forward Darnell Jackson from the Miami Heat in exchange for the lower of the Cavaliers two second round picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. In addition, Cleveland purchased the rights to center Sasha Kaun from the Seattle SuperSonics.

On August 4, 2008, the Cavaliers signed Tarence Kinsey to a one-year contract.

On August 13, 2008, the Cavaliers traded Damon Jones and Joe Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Maurice Williams as part of a three team, six player deal among the Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City.

On September 5, 2008, the Cavaliers signed Lorenzen Wright to a one-year contract.

Draft picks
Main article: 2008 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 19 J. J. Hickson PF  USA NC State

Roster
Roster listing
2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
PG 1 Gibson, Daniel 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1986-02-27 Texas
PF 21 Hickson, J. J.  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 242 lb (110 kg) 1988-09-04 North Carolina State
C 11 Ilgauskas, Žydrūnas 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1975-06-05 Lithuania
PF 00 Jackson, Darnell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 253 lb (115 kg) 1985-11-07 Kansas
SF 23 James, LeBron (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1984-12-30 St. Vincent – St. Mary High School
SF 8 Kinsey, Tarence 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 1984-03-21 South Carolina
SG 3 Pavlović, Sasha 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1983-11-15 Serbia
PF 32 Smith, Joe 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1975-07-26 Maryland
SF 10 Szczerbiak, Wally 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1977-03-05 Miami (OH)
C 17 Varejão, Anderson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1982-09-28 Brazil
PF 4 Wallace, Ben 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1974-09-10 Virginia Union
SG 13 West, Delonte 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1983-07-26 Saint Joseph's
SF 31 Williams, Jawad 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1983-02-19 North Carolina
PG 2 Williams, Maurice 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1982-12-19 Alabama
C 55 Wright, Lorenzen  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1975-11-04 Memphis
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster

Regular season

Standings
Central Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div GP
z-Cleveland Cavaliers6616.805—39–227–1413–382
x-Chicago Bulls4141.5002528–1313–289–782
x-Detroit Pistons3943.4762721–2018–237–982
Indiana Pacers3646.4393025–1611–307–982
Milwaukee Bucks3448.4153222–1912–294–1282
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Cleveland Cavaliers6616.805—
2 y-Boston Celtics6220.7564
3 y-Orlando Magic5923.7207
4 x-Atlanta Hawks4735.57319
5 x-Miami Heat4339.52423
6 x-Philadelphia 76ers4141.50025
7 x-Chicago Bulls4141.50025
8 x-Detroit Pistons3943.48826
9 Indiana Pacers3646.43930
10 Charlotte Bobcats3547.42731
11 New Jersey Nets3448.41532
12 Milwaukee Bucks3448.41532
13 Toronto Raptors3349.40233
14 New York Knicks3250.39034
15 Washington Wizards1963.23247

Record vs. opponents
2008-09 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MEM MIA MIL MIN NJN NOH NYK OKC ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS TOR UTA WAS
Atlanta —0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Boston 0–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Charlotte 0–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Chicago 0–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Cleveland 0–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Dallas 0–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Denver 0–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Detroit 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–0–0–00–00–00–00—00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Golden State 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Houston 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Indiana 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
L.A. Clippers 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
L.A. Lakers 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Memphis 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Miami 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Milwaukee 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Minnesota 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00—00—00—00—00—0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
New Jersey 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00—00—00—0
New Orleans 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
New York 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Oklahoma City 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0–0–00–00–00–00–00—00–00–00–0
Orlando 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00—0–0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0
Philadelphia 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00—0–0–00–00–00–00–00–00—0
Phoenix 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00—0–0–00–00–00–00–00—0
Portland 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00—0–0–00–00–00–00–0
Sacramento 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00—0–0–00–00–00–0
San Antonio 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00—0–0–00–00–0
Toronto 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–00–0
Utah 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—0–0
Washington 0–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–00–0—

Game log
2008–09 game log
Total: 66–16 (Home: 39–2; Road: 27–14)
October: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
November : 13–2 (Home: 8–0; Road: 5–2)
December : 12–2 (Home: 7–0; Road: 5–2)
January : 10–4 (Home: 6–0; Road: 4–4)
February : 9–3 (Home: 4–1; Road: 5–2)
March : 16–1 (Home: 10–0; Road: 6–1)
April : 5–3 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–2)
2008–09 schedule

Playoffs
2009 playoff game log
First Round: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
Conference Finals: 2–4 (Home: 2–1; Road: 0–3)
2008–09 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
Legend
  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 Source: [1]

Season
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Daniel Gibson 75023.9.391.382.7672.11.8.6.27.8
J.J. Hickson 62011.4.515.000.6722.7.1.2.54.0
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 656524.2.472.385.7997.51.0.41.312.9
Darnell Jackson 5128.4.430.000.6861.7.2.2.11.9
LeBron James 818137.7.489.344.7807.67.21.71.128.4
Tarence Kinsey 5035.5.449.389.868.8.2.2.01.0
Sasha Pavlovic 661212.8.422.410.4631.91.1.3.24.6
Joe Smith 21019.6.496.333.7504.8.8.3.76.5
Wally Szczerbiak 74518.6.450.411.8493.11.1.4.17.0
Anderson Varejão 814228.5.536.000.6167.21.0.9.88.6
Ben Wallace 565323.5.445.000.4226.5.8.91.32.9
Delonte West 646433.6.457.399.8333.23.51.5.211.7
Jawad Williams 1002.0.417.333.000.2.0.1.01.2
Mo Williams 818135.0.467.436.9123.44.1.9.117.8
Lorenzen Wright 1826.9.370.000.3751.4.2.2.31.3

Playoffs
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Daniel Gibson 14012.3.325.3571.000.5.4.1.23.4
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 141429.1.449.154.6367.81.2.4.910.5
LeBron James 141441.4.510.333.7499.17.31.6.935.3
Tarence Kinsey 901.2.333.1.000.2.0.1.0.4
Sasha Pavlovic 1108.3.500.250.4631.4.4.4.02.1
Joe Smith 13016.8.460.600.7933.7.2.5.55.5
Wally Szczerbiak 12012.8.444.167.8182.3.6.2.13.6
Anderson Varejão 141430.0.500..6826.4.61.31.16.9
Ben Wallace 14012.6.615..0002.7.3.3.31.1
Delonte West 141442.2.465.333.8333.54.11.4.513.8
Mo Williams 141438.6.408.372.7673.24.1.7.116.3

Awards and records

Awards

Milestones
  • On November 18, LeBron James became the youngest player to reach 11,000 career points and the only player to score 11,000 points in a Cavaliers uniform; he also passed Jim Brewer for 6th in defensive rebounds in Cavs history.
  • On December 9, LeBron James passed Mark Price to become the Cavaliers' all-time steals leader.
  • On the same night, Zydrunas Ilgauskas passed Brad Daugherty to become the Cavaliers' all-time rebounds leader.
  • On January 4, LeBron James passed Brad Daugherty to become the Cavaliers' all-time free throws attempted leader. On the same night he also passed Wesley Person for 2nd all time in three-point field goals made.
  • On January 23, LeBron James passed Brad Daugherty to become the Cavaliers' all-time free throws made leader.
  • On January 30, Mike Brown became just the second Cleveland coach to coach the Eastern Conference all-star team.
  • On February 3, LeBron James became the youngest player to reach 12,000 career points.
  • On March 21, Zydrunas Ilgauskas became the fourth Cavalier to reach 10,000 career points.
  • On March 22, Zydrunas Ilgauskas passed John "Hot Rod" Williams to become the Cavaliers' all-time blocks leader.
  • On March 25, LeBron James became only the second player in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in at least 4 seasons.
  • On March 31, Zydrunas Ilgauskas became only the 3rd player to play at least 700 games as a Cavalier.

Transactions

Trades
August 13, 2008 To Milwaukee Bucks----Damon Jones----To Oklahoma City Thunder----Joe Smith To Cleveland Cavaliers----Mo Williams[9]

Free agents

March 5, 2009: Acquired Joe Smith from Oklahoma City Thunder

References
  1. "Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference.
  2. LeBron James Named NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, NBA.com, November 10, 2008.
  3. LeBron James Named NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, NBA.com, November 17, 2008.
  4. Players of the Month: LeBron James, Chris Paul Archived 2012-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, NBA.com, December 1, 2008.
  5. LeBron James Named NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, NBA.com, December 29, 2008.
  6. Mike Brown Named NBA's Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, NBA.com, January 2, 2009.
  7. Windhorst, Brian (2009-04-20). "Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown named NBA Coach of the Year". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  8. Windhorst, Brian (2009-05-04). "LeBron James named NBA Most Valuable Player". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  9. "Mo Williams headlines 6-player, 3-team trade". the Sporting News. 2008-08-13. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
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