Crown
By Rick Grantham
LeBron James, franchise player of the Cleveland Cavaliers, has
become a certified NBA All-Star. In 2007, James led the Cavs to
its first NBA finals in franchise history. However, did you know
that prior to that year, the Cavaliers had reached the
Conference Finals during two previous years (1976, 1992), and
had been Division Champions during the 1975-1976 season? While
the Cavaliers have recently achieved their greatest success in
franchise history, they have indeed been making history since
1970.
Where did the Cavaliers' name originate? The team named the
Cavaliers as such after a name-the-team contest that included
roughly 11,000 entries. "Cavaliers" defeated other team name
finalists including:
• Foresters
• Jays
• Presidents
A "cavalier" can refer to a gentleman with training in
horsemanship and arms; or to a knight.
The Cavaliers premiered in the NBA, during the 1970-1971
season. Unfortunately, the team faced challenges that other
expansion teams never experienced. Firstly, their first squad
included several players that other teams had discarded.
Furthermore, the Cavs had to play their first seven contests on
the road, as the Ice Capades had made reservations at the
Cleveland Arena, for that period. To make matters worse, the
Cavaliers lost their first game 107-92 to the Buffalo Braves. It
would be an understatement to say that the premiere season of
the Cavs was unsuccessful. They ended the season with a 15-67
record.
However, the Cavaliers quickly and drastically turned their
fortunes around. During the 1975-1976 season, the Cavs had
multiple winning streaks, and won their division, with a record
of 49-33. This was quite a feat for a team playing in only its
sixth NBA season. The Cavaliers earned a gritty win in the
series against the Washington Bullets, defeating them 87-85 in
Game 7. Then the Cavaliers battled against the Boston Celtics in
the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost the series in six games.
The Cavaliers would return to the Eastern Conference Finals in
the 1991-1992 season. Although their 57-25 regular season record
was the franchise's best record ever, the Cavs placed second in
their division. The Cavaliers disposed of the New Jersey Nets in
just four games, and then battled it out against the Boston
Celtics, becoming victorious in Game 7, 122-104. Nevertheless,
the Cavaliers again lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, with
the Chicago Bulls eliminating them in six games.
Most recently, the Cavaliers reached the Eastern Conference
Finals, during the 2006-2007 season. The Cavaliers, led by
LeBron James, finished the season with an impressive 50-32
record. In the playoffs, the Cavs easily defeated the Washington
Wizards, and then needed six games to eliminate the New Jersey
Nets. This time, the Cavs won the Eastern Conference Finals,
defeating the Detroit Pistons in six games. However, the San
Antonio Spurs then swept the Cavs in the NBA finals.
Although the Cleveland Cavaliers achieved the greatest success
in 2007, two other times they were one series away from the NBA
finals. Use Cleveland Cavaliers merchandise to cheer on the team
to their first NBA Finals!
About the Author: Rick Grantham is an avid sports fan. Most of
Rick's articles focus on
http://www.booyahvillage.com/nba-cleveland-cavaliers.html
cleveland cavaliers merchandise. Many articles are related to
http://www.booyahvillage.com/nba.html nba gear and other sports
related topics. Rick is a contributing author to BooYah Village
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