About the Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers, is a professional basketball team and one of eight teams in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The Cavaliers play in Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and wear jerseys of blue, orange, and white.

From 1970-74, the Cavaliers dressed in gold at home and wine on the road. The word Cavaliers featured a feathered letter C. The logo used the words Cleveland Cavaliers written around a basketball, and featured the silhouette of a Cavalier figure swinging a sword.

The next uniform debuted in the 1974-75 season and featured short horizontal stripes of wine, gold and white stacked on the sides of the shirts and shorts. Cavaliers was spelled in block letters on both home and away jerseys.

A metallic gold was introduced in 1980 and was the primary color of the home uniform; wine remained the color on the road. This uniform also sported two horizontal stripes across the chest and the word Cleveland in block letters.

The colors changed to orange, white and royal blue in 1983-84. The home uniform was white with orange numbers while the away uniform was orange with white numbers. Additionally, the word mark reflected a new symbol, with the word Cavs featuring the letter V designed like a basket.
In 1987-88, the numbers and lettering on the home jersey changed to blue, as did the body of the away uniform, which sported Cleveland in block letters.

Upon moving into Gund Arena for the 1994-95 season, the Cavaliers changed to white home jerseys with light blue splashed across the torso. The word Cavs featured the same lettering as is used now, but in orange with a black line's were black. The black away uniforms also had the blue splash, the word Cleveland in orange and white numbers. That year, the team started using the logo featuring a basketball arching into a stylized net, placed above the word Cavs.

A minor change was made for the 1997-98 season, as the team name appeared in black with an orange line on the home court shirts and in white with an orange line on the away shirts.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, behind the play of All-Stars Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, and Larry Nance, Cleveland won 57 games in two seasons, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1992. Other great players in the teams history include Nate Thurmond, Bingo Smith, Campy Russell, John Johnson, and Austin Carr.

Along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves, the Cavaliers were one of three expansion teams to be added to the NBA in 1970. Under head coach Bill Fitch, Cleveland ended the season with a 15-67 win-loss record, the leagues worst. Cleveland drafted guard Austin Carr in 1971 but remained at the bottom of the NBA.

During the 1975-76 season the club posted a 49-33 win-loss record and qualified for its first trip to the playoffs. The teams success came from solid defense and balanced scoring as seven Cavaliers logged scoring averages in double figures. Cleveland lost to the Boston Celtics in the 1976 conference finals. In both of the next two seasons the Cavaliers were defeated in the playoffs. Hampered by injuries to veteran stars, the club slumped for six seasons, starting in 1978. Fitch quit after the 1978-79 season and was replaced by seven coaches in in just as many years. In 1983 brothers Gordon and George Gund purchased the team. Under their ownership, the Cavs climbed from the bottom of the NBA, and guided by coach George Karl, the team reached the 1985 playoffs.

In the 1986 NBA draft the team acquired center Brad Daugherty and guard Ron Harper and obtained the draft rights to guard Mark Price. The club also hired Lenny Wilkens as head coach, beginning with the 1986-87 season. During the 1987-88 season the Cavs traded for forward Larry Nance, and the team finished with a 42-40 record, its first winning season in ten years. In the playoffs the Chicago Bulls beat the Cavs in the first round. Cleveland won 57 games in 1988-89 but again lost to the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. Price, Daugherty, and Nance posted outstanding seasons in 1991-92 as the Cavaliers won 57 games again and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Bulls. The Cavs had one of their greatest seasons in 1992-93, leading the league in field-goal shooting (.497), free-throw shooting (.802), and three-point shooting (.381). The team won 54 games but fell to the Bulls in postseason play for the fourth time in six years.

In the mid-1990s injuries, trades, and retirements led to a shake-up of the lineup. The club hired Mike Fratello as head coach beginning with the 1993-94 season, and he brought a strategy of tough defense and deliberate offense that produced many winning seasons.