Let's try to inject some life into the Cavs forum (there's still a month and a half until training camp starts). So let's talk about the best teams from each of the 5 decades.
1975-76: The Miracle of Richfield
During the first 10 years of Cavaliers basketball, is there any debate that it's this team that's most deserving? They won 49 games and made it to the sixth game in the Conference Finals against the eventual champion (the Celtics). While they lacked any sure-fire stars (Chones was the closest that year, since Carr was a shell of his former self), they made up for it in heart, a big reason for one of their greatest post-season series in franchise history (VS the Washington Bullets).
1984-85's World B. Free Cavs VS 1988-89's Price-Nance-Daugherty Cavs
The 80s had a bad start, but there's two teams that come to mind: 1984-85 and 1988-89. The first one was an emotional revival of the sport in Cleveland while the other saw regular season superiority like no other. But it probably felt like the opposite in the playoffs ('85 saw a team not expected to compete while '89 had one of the city's biggest heartbreaks in its history). So what do you prefer?
1991-92 was the best Cavs Team of the 90s
The 90s started out better, but no one was expected to beat Chicago at their peak. But 1992 had some combination of '89's regular season success with '76's post-season performance. 1993 had a similar result (but slightly less), but had 3 all-star selections for a second time in 5 years. The rest of the decade had transitioned into slow, boring, and mediocre basketball (just like how the jerseys transitioned, as seen above)... A personal favorite of mine was 1997-98 since I first followed the Cavs religiously with a "star" and 3 rookies in the starting lineup.
2008-09: The Rise of King James
The 2000s were a mixed bag (especially early on), but the second half the decade was filled with incredible memories. 2006-2009 had the best of the best, so I feel it's about preference. Would you rather a team (
2006) that found their niche throughout the season and pulled off similar first round feats to the Miracle of Richfield? Or a team (
2007) that made it to the championship round for the first time ever? Or a team (
2008) that made a big deal to change the fortunes and barely lose to the eventual champs? Or, last but not least, a team (
2009) that breaks regular season records, almost makes it back to the Finals, but unceremoniously squashed in 6 games?
2015-16: "Cleveland! This is for you!"
Yeah, I know, it's cheesy, my bad...
Of course, many of you probably prefer the best prize of all: The elusive Larry 'O Brien Trophy. I probably would too. And surrounded by a dominant set of teams (2015-2018), there's not much that trumps this era of basketball, unless you hate winning?
So, 2010s be damned, what teams do you prefer to re-watch and remember the most?
For me to rank them (and only choose one team from each decade):
- 2015-16 (the end goal was reached)
- 2008-09 (an incredible regular season)
- 1975-76 (a Miracle in Richfield)
- 1988-89 (a great regular season that ends with a Shot)
- 1997-98 (my first dedicated season of Cavs basketball)
Reasoning: I like winning basketball, even with players that attract drama. It makes you feel great and get a good night's sleep. And if you win enough (like a championship game), you end up bouncing off walls or feeling like you can fly. It's also nice because you can watch more of your favorite team the farther you go.
But we don't have many teams like that (unlike the Celtics, Lakers, Spurs, Bulls, etc). We either have had great regular seasons with poor playoffs, or somewhat above-average seasons with great playoffs, not both. I prefer 1998 or 1992 because 1992 is almost a rehash of 1989 while 1998 is a fresh look (if not a little short).