The 1988âÂÂ89 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 133âÂÂ93 road win over the expansion Charlotte Hornets, at the Charlotte Coliseum on November 4, 1988, which was the Hornets' first game in franchise history. The Cavaliers won 11 of their first 14 games of the season, posted an 11-game winning streak between December and January, which led to a successful 24âÂÂ5 start, and later on held a 35âÂÂ11 record at the All-Star break. The Cavaliers posted a six-game winning streak between February and March, and finished in second place in the Central Division with a franchise-best 57âÂÂ25 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, 9.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists 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, Craig Ehlo contributed 7.4 points, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and Valentine averaged 4.8 points and 2.3 assists per game.
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 6thâÂÂseeded Chicago Bulls, who were led by All-Star guard Michael Jordan, and second-year stars, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. The Bulls took a 2âÂÂ1 series lead, but the Cavaliers managed to win Game 4 on the road in overtime, 108âÂÂ105 at the Chicago Stadium to even the series. However, the Cavaliers lost Game 5 to the Bulls at home, 101âÂÂ100 at the Coliseum at Richfield, in which Jordan hit a memorable series-clinching shot over Ehlo at the buzzer; the Cavaliers lost the series to the Bulls in five hard-fought games.
The Cavaliers finished fifth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 721,426 at the Coliseum at Richfield during the regular season. Following the season, Sanders signed as a free agent with the Indiana Pacers, and Valentine was released to free agency.
Notes
|- 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<br>8:00 pm EST || Atlanta | L 95âÂÂ97 | Daugherty (22) | Williams (11) | Price (10) | Richfield Coliseum<br>15,684 | 4âÂÂ1 |- 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<br>(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<br>7:30 pm EST || Atlanta | W 120âÂÂ94 | Price (23) | Daugherty,<br>Harper (9) | Price (8) | Richfield Coliseum<br>18,815 | 15âÂÂ5 |- 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<br>7:30 pm EST || @ Atlanta | L 105âÂÂ121 | Nance (28) | Daugherty (9) | Price (9) | The Omni<br>16,371 | 30âÂÂ8 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 39 || January 27, 1989 || @ Detroit |- style="background:#fcc;" | 40 || January 29, 1989 || @ Washington<br>(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;" | colspan="9" style="background:#bbcaff;"|All-Star Break |- style="background:#cfc;" | 47 || February 14, 1989 || @ Miami |- style="background:#cfc;" | 48 || February 15, 1989 || New York |- style="background:#fcc;" | 49 || February 17, 1989<br>8:00 pm EST || @ Atlanta | L 100âÂÂ108 | Price (29) | Daugherty (13) | Harper (5) | The Omni<br>16,371 | 37âÂÂ12 |- 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<br>7:30 pm EDT || Atlanta | W 105âÂÂ91 | Harper (32) | Daugherty (17) | Price (13) | Richfield Coliseum<br>19,322 | 53âÂÂ20 |- 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<br>7:30 pm EDT || @ Atlanta | L 89âÂÂ92 | Harper (18) | Harper,<br>Rollins (8) | Ehlo (8) | The Omni<br>16,371 | 56âÂÂ25 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 82 || April 23, 1989 || @ Chicago
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | April 28 | Chicago | L 88âÂÂ95 | Craig Ehlo (19) | Brad Daugherty (7) | Darnell Valentine (6) | Richfield Coliseum<br>19,312 | 0âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 30 | Chicago | W 96âÂÂ88 | Ron Harper (31) | Ron Harper (11) | Larry Nance (5) | Richfield Coliseum<br>20,273 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | May 3 | @ Chicago | L 94âÂÂ101 | Hot Rod Williams (22) | Hot Rod Williams (11) | Darnell Valentine (8) | Chicago Stadium<br>17,721 | 1âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 5 | @ Chicago | W 108âÂÂ105 (OT) | Larry Nance (27) | Brad Daugherty (17) | Mark Price (7) | Chicago Stadium<br>18,264 | 2âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 7 | Chicago | L 100âÂÂ101 | Craig Ehlo (24) | Brad Daugherty (11) | Mark Price (7) | Richfield Coliseum<br>20,273 | 2âÂÂ3
Player statistics citation: