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1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers season

NBA professional basketball team season

NBA professional basketball team season

FieldValue
teamCleveland Cavaliers
end_year1989
wins57
losses25
divisionCentral
division_place2
conf_place3
coachLenny Wilkens
gmWayne Embry
arenaRichfield Coliseum
televisionWOIO
(Joe Tait, Jim Chones)
radioWRMR
(Joe Tait, Jim Johnson)
playoffs[First round](1989-nba-playoffs)
(lost to [Bulls](1988-89-chicago-bulls-season) 2–3)
bbr_teamCLE

(Joe Tait, Jim Chones) (Joe Tait, Jim Johnson) (lost to Bulls 2–3)

The 1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 19th season for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the team signed free agent Tree Rollins, and acquired Darnell Valentine from the Miami Heat expansion team.

The Cavaliers started the regular season with a 133–93 road win over the expansion Charlotte Hornets, at the Charlotte Coliseum on November 4, 1988, which was the Hornets' first game in franchise history, then posted an 11-game winning streak between December and January, which led to a successful 24–5 start, and held a 35–11 record at the All-Star break. The team finished in second place in the Central Division with a franchise-best 57–25 record, earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference; their record was tied for second-best in the NBA along with the Los Angeles Lakers during the regular season.

Brad Daugherty averaged 18.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, while Mark Price averaged 18.9 points, 8.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game, led the Cavaliers with 93 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Ron Harper contributed 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game, while Larry Nance provided the team with 17.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and sixth man Hot Rod Williams averaged 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game off the bench. Meanwhile, Mike Sanders provided with 9.3 points per game, and Craig Ehlo contributed 7.4 points and 1.3 steals per game off the bench.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas, Price, Daugherty and Nance were all selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team, while head coach Lenny Wilkens was selected to coach the Eastern Conference; it was Price's first ever All-Star appearance. Despite a stellar season, Harper was not selected for the All-Star Game. In addition, Harper participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the second time; Nance was also selected for the Slam Dunk Contest, but did not participate.

Price finished in tenth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Daugherty finished tied in eleventh place, and Nance finished tied in 13th place; Williams finished tied in sixth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Wilkens finished in third place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1989 NBA playoffs, the Cavaliers faced off against the 6th–seeded Chicago Bulls, who were led by All-Star guard Michael Jordan, and second-year stars, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. The Bulls took a 2–1 series lead, but the Cavaliers managed to win Game 4 on the road in overtime, 108–105 at the Chicago Stadium to even the series. However, the Cavaliers then lost Game 5 to the Bulls at home, 101–100 at the Coliseum at Richfield, as Jordan hit a memorable series-clinching shot over Ehlo at the buzzer, as the Cavaliers lost the series to the Bulls in five hard-fought games.

Following the season, Sanders signed as a free agent with the Indiana Pacers.

Draft picks

Main article: 1988 NBA draft

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalitySchool/Club team
122Randolph KeysForwardSouthern Miss
364Winston BennettForwardKentucky
  • 1st round pick (#14) traded to Phoenix in Larry Nance deal. Used to draft Dan Majerle.
  • 2nd round pick (#38) traded to Phoenix in Larry Nance deal. Used to draft Dean Garrett.

Roster

  • Lenny Wilkens
  • Dick Helm
  • Brian Winters

Regular season

Season standings

Notes

  • z, y – division champions
  • x – clinched playoff spot

Game log

|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 || November 4, 1988 || @ Charlotte |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 || November 5, 1988 || @ Indiana |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 || November 9, 1988 || L.A. Clippers |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 || November 12, 1988 || Indiana |- style="background:#fcc;" | 5 || November 15, 1988 8:00 pm EST || Atlanta | L 95–97 | Daugherty (22) | Williams (11) | Price (10) | Richfield Coliseum 15,684 | 4–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 6 || November 18, 1988 || @ New Jersey |- style="background:#cfc;" | 7 || November 19, 1988 || Milwaukee |- style="background:#cfc;" | 8 || November 22, 1988 || @ Boston (at Hartford, CT) |- style="background:#fcc;" | 9 || November 23, 1988 || @ Philadelphia |- style="background:#fcc;" | 10 || November 26, 1988 || @ New York |- style="background:#cfc;" | 11 || November 27, 1988 || Miami |- style="background:#cfc;" | 12 || December 1, 1988 || @ Milwaukee |- style="background:#cfc;" | 13 || December 2, 1988 || Boston |- style="background:#cfc;" | 14 || December 4, 1988 || Denver |- style="background:#fcc;" | 15 || December 6, 1988 || @ Houston |- style="background:#cfc;" | 16 || December 8, 1988 || @ San Antonio |- style="background:#cfc;" | 17 || December 10, 1988 || @ Dallas |- style="background:#fcc;" | 18 || December 13, 1988 || L.A. Lakers |- style="background:#cfc;" | 19 || December 15, 1988 || Detroit |- style="background:#cfc;" | 20 || December 17, 1988 7:30 pm EST || Atlanta | W 120–94 | Price (23) | Daugherty, Harper (9) | Price (8) | Richfield Coliseum 18,815 | 15–5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 21 || December 20, 1988 || Utah |- style="background:#cfc;" | 22 || December 21, 1988 || @ Boston |- style="background:#cfc;" | 23 || December 23, 1988 || Seattle |- style="background:#cfc;" | 24 || December 27, 1988 || @ Chicago |- style="background:#cfc;" | 25 || December 28, 1988 || Charlotte |- style="background:#cfc;" | 26 || December 30, 1988 || Washington |- style="background:#cfc;" | 27 || January 3, 1989 || Indiana |- style="background:#cfc;" | 28 || January 5, 1989 || Chicago |- style="background:#cfc;" | 29 || January 7, 1989 || New York |- style="background:#fcc;" | 30 || January 9, 1989 || @ Seattle |- style="background:#cfc;" | 31 || January 11, 1989 || @ Phoenix |- style="background:#fcc;" | 32 || January 13, 1989 || @ L.A. Lakers |- style="background:#cfc;" | 33 || January 14, 1989 || @ Denver |- style="background:#cfc;" | 34 || January 16, 1989 || Phoenix |- style="background:#cfc;" | 35 || January 19, 1989 || @ Indiana |- style="background:#cfc;" | 36 || January 21, 1989 || New Jersey |- style="background:#cfc;" | 37 || January 23, 1989 || Golden State |- style="background:#fcc;" | 38 || January 24, 1989 7:30 pm EST || @ Atlanta | L 105–121 | Nance (28) | Daugherty (9) | Price (9) | The Omni 16,371 | 30–8 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 39 || January 27, 1989 || @ Detroit |- style="background:#fcc;" | 40 || January 29, 1989 || @ Washington (at Baltimore, MD) |- style="background:#cfc;" | 41 || January 31, 1989 || Philadelphia |- style="background:#fcc;" | 42 || February 2, 1989 || @ New York |- style="background:#cfc;" | 43 || February 3, 1989 || Sacramento |- style="background:#cfc;" | 44 || February 5, 1989 || @ Charlotte |- style="background:#fcc;" | 45 || February 7, 1989 || @ Milwaukee |- style="background:#cfc;" | 46 || February 9, 1989 || Indiana |- style="text-align:center;" |- style="background:#cfc;" | 47 || February 14, 1989 || @ Miami |- style="background:#cfc;" | 48 || February 15, 1989 || New York |- style="background:#fcc;" | 49 || February 17, 1989 8:00 pm EST || @ Atlanta | L 100–108 | Price (29) | Daugherty (13) | Harper (5) | The Omni 16,371 | 37–12 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 50 || February 18, 1989 || Philadelphia |- style="background:#cfc;" | 51 || February 20, 1989 || Houston |- style="background:#cfc;" | 52 || February 22, 1989 || New Jersey |- style="background:#cfc;" | 53 || February 24, 1989 || Portland |- style="background:#cfc;" | 54 || February 28, 1989 || Detroit |- style="background:#cfc;" | 55 || March 2, 1989 || San Antonio |- style="background:#fcc;" | 56 || March 3, 1989 || @ Detroit |- style="background:#fcc;" | 57 || March 5, 1989 || Milwaukee |- style="background:#cfc;" | 58 || March 7, 1989 || @ Sacramento |- style="background:#fcc;" | 59 || March 9, 1989 || @ Golden State |- style="background:#fcc;" | 60 || March 10, 1989 || @ L.A. Clippers |- style="background:#cfc;" | 61 || March 12, 1989 || @ Portland |- style="background:#fcc;" | 62 || March 13, 1989 || @ Utah |- style="background:#cfc;" | 63 || March 15, 1989 || Chicago |- style="background:#cfc;" | 64 || March 19, 1989 || @ New Jersey |- style="background:#cfc;" | 65 || March 20, 1989 || Washington |- style="background:#fcc;" | 66 || March 22, 1989 || @ Philadelphia |- style="background:#cfc;" | 67 || March 23, 1989 || Milwaukee |- style="background:#fcc;" | 68 || March 25, 1989 || @ Milwaukee |- style="background:#fcc;" | 69 || March 27, 1989 || @ Indiana |- style="background:#cfc;" | 70 || March 28, 1989 || Dallas |- style="background:#cfc;" | 71 || March 31, 1989 || @ Chicago |- style="background:#cfc;" | 72 || April 2, 1989 || Boston |- style="background:#cfc;" | 73 || April 4, 1989 7:30 pm EDT || Atlanta | W 105–91 | Harper (32) | Daugherty (17) | Price (13) | Richfield Coliseum 19,322 | 53–20 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 74 || April 7, 1989 || @ Washington |- style="background:#cfc;" | 75 || April 9, 1989 || Charlotte |- style="background:#cfc;" | 76 || April 11, 1989 || Philadelphia |- style="background:#fcc;" | 77 || April 12, 1989 || @ Detroit |- style="background:#fcc;" | 78 || April 14, 1989 || @ Boston |- style="background:#cfc;" | 79 || April 16, 1989 || Chicago |- style="background:#fcc;" | 80 || April 18, 1989 || Detroit |- style="background:#fcc;" | 81 || April 21, 1989 7:30 pm EDT || @ Atlanta | L 89–92 | Harper (18) | Harper, Rollins (8) | Ehlo (8) | The Omni 16,371 | 56–25 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 82 || April 23, 1989 || @ Chicago

Playoffs

Main article: 1989 NBA Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | April 28 | Chicago | L 88–95 | Craig Ehlo (19) | Brad Daugherty (7) | Darnell Valentine (6) | Richfield Coliseum 19,312 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 30 | Chicago | W 96–88 | Ron Harper (31) | Ron Harper (11) | Larry Nance (5) | Richfield Coliseum 20,273 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | May 3 | @ Chicago | L 94–101 | Hot Rod Williams (22) | Hot Rod Williams (11) | Darnell Valentine (8) | Chicago Stadium 17,721 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 5 | @ Chicago | W 108–105 (OT) | Larry Nance (27) | Brad Daugherty (17) | Mark Price (7) | Chicago Stadium 18,264 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 7 | Chicago | L 100–101 | Craig Ehlo (24) | Brad Daugherty (11) | Mark Price (7) | Richfield Coliseum 20,273 | 2–3

Player stats

Regular season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3FG%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Mark Price757436.452.644.190.13.08.41.50.118.9
Brad Daugherty787836.253.833.373.79.23.70.80.518.9
Ron Harper828234.851.125.075.15.05.32.30.918.6
Larry Nance737234.653.90.079.98.02.20.82.817.2
Hot Rod Williams821025.950.925.074.85.81.30.91.611.6
Mike Sanders828225.645.330.071.93.71.61.10.49.3
Craig Ehlo82422.847.539.060.73.63.21.30.27.4
Darnell Valentine77414.142.621.481.31.32.30.70.14.8
Randolph Keys4207.943.010.069.01.30.50.30.14.0
Chris Dudley6128.943.50.036.42.60.30.10.43.0
Phil Hubbard3106.244.40.068.01.30.40.20.02.4
Tree Rollins6029.744.90.063.22.30.30.20.62.3

Playoffs

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3FG%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Ron Harper5537.856.50.076.94.24.02.20.819.6
Larry Nance5539.055.10.065.67.83.20.62.419.4
Mark Price4439.538.637.593.33.35.50.80.016.0
Craig Ehlo4124.343.638.581.81.53.30.80.312.0
Brad Daugherty5533.436.20.060.09.22.41.21.011.0
Hot Rod Williams5232.246.70.072.26.82.00.41.411.0
Mike Sanders5317.450.00.060.03.20.80.40.26.6
Darnell Valentine5016.035.00.087.51.43.21.00.04.2
Tree Rollins5014.875.00.060.03.20.20.61.43.0
Randolph Keys1012.00.00.00.03.01.00.00.00.0
Chris Dudley104.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.0
Phil Hubbard101.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.0

Player statistics citation:

Awards and records

Awards

  • Mark Price, All-NBA Third Team
  • Larry Nance, NBA All-Defensive First Team

Records

Milestones

All-Star

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Development league

References

References

  1. Dyer, Bob. (January 30, 1988). "Cavs End Contract with WWWE". Beacon Journal Publishing Co..
  2. "1988-89 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats".
  3. (August 1, 1988). "Atlanta Hawks Center Wayne ''Tree'' Rollins, a...". Chicago Tribune.
  4. Exner, Rich. (August 2, 1988). "The Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday Announced the Signing of Free-Agent...". United Press International.
  5. (August 3, 1988). "SPORTS PEOPLE; Rollins to Cavaliers". The New York Times.
  6. Goldaper, Sam. (June 24, 1988). "Miami Chooses "Who?" First". The New York Times.
  7. Edes, Gordon. (June 24, 1988). "Billy Thompson Goes to Miami; Valentine Winds Up in Cleveland". Los Angeles Times.
  8. (November 4, 1988). "Ron Harper Contributed 22 Points and 5 Steals Friday...". United Press International.
  9. (November 5, 1988). "NBA'S Hornets Debut with a 40-Point Loss". The Washington Post.
  10. "Cleveland Cavaliers at Charlotte Hornets Box Score, November 4, 1988". Basketball-Reference.
  11. Goldaper, Sam. (January 8, 1989). "PRO BASKETBALL; Cavaliers Trip Up Weary Knicks". The New York Times.
  12. "New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers Box Score, January 7, 1989". Basketball-Reference.
  13. "NBA Games Played on February 9, 1989". Basketball-Reference.
  14. "1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
  15. "1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
  16. (February 1, 1989). "3 Cavs Named as Reserves for NBA's East All-Star Squad". Deseret News.
  17. (September 13, 2021). "1989 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
  18. "1989 NBA All-Star Game: West 143, East 134". Basketball-Reference.
  19. Hafner, Dan. (February 1, 1989). "NBA Roundup: Harper, Left Off All-Star Roster, Proves Worth in Cavalier Victory". Los Angeles Times.
  20. (February 1, 1989). "Harper Not Bothered by NBA All-Star Snub". The Vindicator.
  21. Hafner, Dan. (February 16, 1989). "NBA Roundup: Cleveland Runs Through New York, 129-107". Los Angeles Times.
  22. (February 11, 1989). "All-Star Lineups". Ocala Star-Banner.
  23. "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference.
  24. McManis, Sam. (May 23, 1989). "Magic Is the MVP This Time: Jordan Finishes Second in Closest Voting in 8 Seasons". Los Angeles Times.
  25. "1988–89 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
  26. (May 9, 1989). "NBA Sixth Man Voting". Rome News-Tribune.
  27. (May 25, 1989). "Fitzsimmons Coach of Year". Los Angeles Times.
  28. Brown, Clifton. (May 8, 1989). "Jordan Shot Gives Series to the Bulls". The New York Times.
  29. Aldridge, David. (May 8, 1989). "NBA PLAYOFFS: Jordan Takes Air Out of Cavaliers, and Bulls Advance". Los Angeles Times.
  30. "1989 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Bulls vs. Cavaliers". Basketball-Reference.
  31. Smith, Sam. (December 8, 1989). "Walsh's Law Brings Pacers Right Order". Chicago Tribune.
  32. Hubbard, Jan. (December 11, 1989). "Pacers Finally Make Their Move". Los Angeles Times.
  33. Newell, Nat. (June 28, 2017). "Ranking Every Free Agent the Pacers Have Signed". IndyStar.
  34. Phoenix dealt Larry Nance and Mike Sanders, along with Detroit's first-round pick in 1988 to Cleveland in exchange for the Cavs' first- and second-round draft picks in 1988, and players Kevin Johnson, Mark West and Tyrone Corbin. http://www.nba.com/suns/history/00646999.html {{Webarchive. link. (2008-02-10)
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