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Revisiting the 1988-1989 Cavs

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Triple-S

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I wish I had an article to post, but screw it.

ESPN just showed highlight of "The Shot" and I always get annoyed at how overlooked that particular team was.

Ehlo, Price, Harper, Nance, Daughtery all balled out and prior to 2016? I dare say they were the most talented Cavs team to ever take the floor.

Those guys are folk heroes to Cleveland Sports fans and I really wish they'd get love now.
 
I wish I had an article to post, but screw it.

ESPN just showed highlight of "The Shot" and I always get annoyed at how overlooked that particular team was.

Ehlo, Price, Harper, Nance, Daughtery all balled out and prior to 2016? I dare say they were the most talented Cavs team to ever take the floor.

Those guys are folk heroes to Cleveland Sports fans and I really wish they'd get love now.
Don't leave out Hot Rod :good:
 
I always tell people that I feel we had the best "Team" at that time, we just didn't have the "best player" on earth. I also feel that team got screwed by the same people that put it together with the Harper trade and leaving Curry unprotected instead of Saunders (and I'm not saying that in hind sight either, I was pissed they left Curry unprotected in the expansion draft).
 
I love looking back at these types of moments (as a Cavs history buff) . And as someone who can only view highlights of that team (or [in]famous hardwood classics), I might have done my research of that team, but I only have limited hindsight as well (was only 2 years old when that shot happened).

There was so much potential as a team. We had a center who (while a bit more brittle) was drafted 1st from a generation filled with talented centers drafted 1st overall: Olajuwon, Ewing, Robinson. We had a point guard who is considered an elite shooter in NBA history a la shorter Steve Nash or Steph Curry; he was just in the wrong era (an era with hand-checking). And we had a power forward considered an all-time shot-blocker as one of the few forwards to lead the NBA in that category.

Yeah... Daugherty, Price, and Nance were a great combo of all-stars, but we actually had even more guys who brought their A game. The shooting guard was a great player who could've been an all-star if he had enough chances/trust/health. The multi-faceted big man who could've filled in at any of the three frontcourt positions (and mostly off the bench as the great sixth-man). The "Santa Claus from Lubbock, Texas" wasn't too bad either, just not the right answer to the (Heir) Air Jordan...

I guess what makes me sad is how short that window was. I guess even in 1989, it was somewhat clear that they were good (and coached pretty damn well), but were fragile even then (though getting hit by an elbow is pretty bad situation). What if Brad Daugherty was as durable as his peers (most of them played double the amount of years Brad did)? What if Price managed to play at that high level for at least the last four years of his career ('94-'98)? What if Ron was able to carve out his career for us (not just healthy, but not removed because of bad connections?)?

I started following the Cavs properly in 1997-1998. I guess I wonder what we would be like with everybody from '89, but 10 years later without the health issues? And if we fixed our lagging depth and brought new blood into the fold as we moved along (like when we got Tyrone Hill, Terrell Brandon, Bob Sura, Derek Anderson, Brevin Knight, etc.). It's a pitiful what-if which would look so different with that butterfly-effect.

Fortunately, we won't have to worry any more. Getting that championship helps ease my mind, even 3 years later. Nothing, not even 30 years in the past, will stop me in my tracks.
 
Price: 18.9/3.0/8.4/1.5 (stl).. .526/.441/.901

*Was the 1st player in NBA history not named Larry Bird to shoot 50/40/90

*Became the 6th player to average 18/3/8/1.5

*Became the 9th player in NBA history to finish with a PER of 20.5, a TS% of .620, with 11+ WS

Harper: 18.6/5.0/5.3/2.3 (stl).. .511 FG

*Became the 3rd player in NBA history to total 1,500 pts, 400 rebs, 400 ast, 175 stl, 70 blk

Nance: 17.2/8.0/2.2/2.8 (blk).. .539 FG

*Became the 5th player in NBA history to total 1,250 pts, 550 rebs, 150 ast, 200 blk, and 50 stl with a TS% of .590

Daugherty: 18.9/9.2/3.7.. .538 FG

*Became the 5th player in NBA history to total 1,400 pts, 700 rebs, 250 ast, with a TS% of .590

Ehlo: 7.4/3.6/3.2.. .475/.390 3pt

Hot Rod: 11.6/5.8/1.6 blk.. .509 FG

*Had just the 4th season in NBA history with 900 pts, 450 rebs, 125 blk, 100 ast, with a FG% of 50% in less than 2200 minutes.

_____________________

*5 guys who shot 50% or better

*4 guys who averaged 17+ PPG

*4 guys who averaged 5+ RPG

*3 guys who averaged 3.5 APG

Almost every guy in the rotation was a great all-around player, pretty insane.

And I still maintain Mark Price is one of the most underrated players that has ever played the game. He was the original Steve Nash.
 
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The ultimate goal of the rebuild should be to put a modern version of that roster together. Going to have to draft and develop well for several years for that to come true! I love that team! They were just so fun to watch!
 
I think it was Jordan but it might have been someone else who commented that the one glaring weakness of the Dream Team was weak outside shooting (Bird was hurt) and that Price should have been on the team.

The NBA actively promoted the Bad Boys and their brutal assaults masquerading as physical play. That hurt the Cavaliers.

We also didn't have Jordan or Pippen. As good as our players were, we didn't have anyone like that (especially MJ).

As good as that team was -- and I saw them many times at the Coliseum (lived in Brecksville at the time) including the infamous Game 5 against the Bulls -- not have that superstar really limited our ceiling. I liked that team a lot more than our 2016 team, but the latter had LeBron and that's why it was better. That's just how the NBA postseason works.
 
I wish I had an article to post, but screw it.

ESPN just showed highlight of "The Shot" and I always get annoyed at how overlooked that particular team was.

Ehlo, Price, Harper, Nance, Daughtery all balled out and prior to 2016? I dare say they were the most talented Cavs team to ever take the floor.

Those guys are folk heroes to Cleveland Sports fans and I really wish they'd get love now.

If it wasn’t for Jordan this team may have won a title in its prime.
 
None of those guys got anything on Big Z.
 
I wish I had an article to post, but screw it.

ESPN just showed highlight of "The Shot" and I always get annoyed at how overlooked that particular team was.

Ehlo, Price, Harper, Nance, Daughtery all balled out and prior to 2016? I dare say they were the most talented Cavs team to ever take the floor.

Those guys are folk heroes to Cleveland Sports fans and I really wish they'd get love now.

Don’t do it, Man. I get sad every time I think about it. That team had the best record in the league until Rick Mahorn elbowed Mark Price in the head. If the Pistons don’t trade for Aguirre and hurt Price, that team does damage.
 
Don’t do it, Man. I get sad every time I think about it. That team had the best record in the league until Rick Mahorn elbowed Mark Price in the head. If the Pistons don’t trade for Aguirre and hurt Price, that team does damage.

I may agree with you, but they needed to play better D.
 
I started following the Cavs the last year that World B Free played with us. I watched this team be built and grow into what should have been a Championship team. My favorite Cavs team of all time. Price was as clutch as they come. Down 2 with 5 seconds left? Price for 3!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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