The Cleveland Cavaliers (also known as the Cavs ) are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1970 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference Championship in 2007.

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Franchise history

1970–1980: Expansion and early hope

The Cavaliers first began play in the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team under the ownership of Nick Mileti. Playing their home games at Cleveland Arena under the direction of head coach Bill Fitch, they compiled a league-worst 15–67 record. The team hoped to build around the number one 1971 draft pick Austin Carr who had set numerous scoring records at Notre Dame, but Carr severely injured his leg shortly into his pro career and did not recover sufficiently to become a great pro player.

The following seasons saw the Cavaliers gradually improve their on-court performance, thanks to season-by-season additions of talented players such as Bingo Smith, Jim Chones, Jim Cleamons and Dick Snyder. Cleveland improved to 23–59 in their sophomore season, followed by a 32–50 record in 1972–73, and a small step backwards to 29–53 in 1973–74. In 1974, the Cavaliers moved into the brand-new Richfield Coliseum, located in a rural area thirty miles south of downtown Cleveland in Summit County (now part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park). That season, the Cavaliers finished with a 40–42 record, falling just short of a playoff berth.

In the 1975–76 season with Carr, Smith, Chones, Snyder, and newly acquired Nate Thurmond; Fitch led the Cavaliers to a 49–33 record and a division title. Fitch received the league's Coach of the Year award as the Cavs made their first-ever playoff appearance.

The Cavs won the series against the Washington Bullets, 4–3. Because of the many heroics and last-second shots, the series became known locally as the "Miracle of Richfield." However, hampered by injuries, particularly to Jim Chones, the Cavs proceeded to lose to the Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs.

Cleveland won 43 games the next two seasons (1976–77 and 1977–78), but both those seasons resulted in early playoff exits. After a 30–52 season in 1978–79, Fitch resigned as head coach. The following season, after going 37–45 under Fitch's successor Stan Albeck, original owner Mileti sold his shares to minority owner Joe Zingale.

1980–1983: The Stepien years

In 1980, after just a few months, Zingale sold the team to Nationwide Advertising magnate Ted Stepien. The new owner oversaw the hiring and firing of a succession of coaches and was involved in making a number of poor trade and free agent signing decisions. The result of Stepien's questionable trading acumen was the loss of several of the team's first-round draft picks, which led to a rule change in the NBA prohibiting teams from trading away first-round draft picks in consecutive years. This rule is known as the "Ted Stepien Rule."

Early on in his tenure, Stepien proposed to rename the team the "Ohio Cavaliers", part of a plan that included playing their home games not just in the Cleveland area but also in Cincinnati and in non-Ohio markets such as Buffalo, New York and Pittsburgh. He also introduced a polka-flavored fight song, which was widely-ridiculed by fans and the media.

The ensuing chaos was reflected by the Cavs' on-court performance and attendance woes, going 28–54 in 1980–81 (Stepien's first year as owner), followed by an abysmal 15–67 mark in 1981–82. The 1981–82 team lost its last 19 games of the season which, when coupled with the five losses at the start of the 1982–83 season, constitute the NBA's all-time longest losing streak at 24 games. Although the team improved its record to 23–59 the following year, local support for the Cavs eroded which eventually bottomed out that year by averaging only 3,900 fans a game at the cavernous Coliseum which seated more than 20,000. Stepien threatened to move the franchise to Toronto and rename it the Toronto Towers, but brothers George and Gordon Gund purchased the franchise in the mid 1980s and decided to keep the team in Cleveland. (In 1993, Toronto would, in fact, get an expansion franchise, the Toronto Raptors.) Two years later, the Gunds changed the team colors from wine and gold to burnt orange, red and navy blue. Also, the team officially adopted "Cavs" as a shorter nickname for marketing purposes; it had been used unofficially by fans and headline writers since the team's inception.

1983–1993: A new look

Under George Karl, the Cavs returned to the playoffs in 1985, only to lose to the eventual Eastern Conference Champions Boston Celtics in the first round. The team was in transition, led by World B. Free, Roy Hinson and John Bagley. But in 1986, Karl was fired after 66 games. Interim head coach Gene Littles guided the team the rest of the way, which saw the Cavs finish just one game short of the playoffs. After the season, it was time to restructure the team.

In 1986, under the Gund brothers as owners, the team acquired, either through trades or the draft, Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper and Larry Nance. These four players (until Harper was later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1989 for the rights to Danny Ferry) formed the core of the team, under the direction of head coach Lenny Wilkens, that led the Cavs to eight playoff seasons in the next nine years, including three 50+ win seasons.

However, in 1989, the Cavs were paired against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. In the fourth game of the best-of-five-series, Cleveland managed to beat the Bulls in overtime 108–105 to level the series at 2–2. Home court advantage went to Cleveland. The game was evenly matched, until Cleveland managed to score on a drive and raise the lead by one, with three seconds left. Chicago called for a time-out. The ball was inbounded to Michael Jordan, who went for a jump shot. Cleveland's Craig Ehlo jumped in front to block it, but Jordan seemed to stay in the air until Ehlo landed. "The Shot" went in as time ran out, with Chicago winning the series 3–2. Although replay would show that Jordan cleared Ehlo with his arm in order to get an open look, the buzzer-beater is considered one of Jordan's greatest clutch moments, and the game itself one of the greatest. But the pinnacle of the Cavs' success came in the 1991–92 season, when they compiled a 57–25 record and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing again to the Chicago Bulls 4–2.

1993–2003: A long struggle

Soon after, the Cavaliers entered into a period of decline. With the retirements and departures of Nance, Daugherty and Price, the team lost much of its dominance and were no longer able to contest strongly during the playoffs. After the 1992–93 season, in which the Cavs boasted a 54–28 regular-season record but suffered an early exit from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to the Chicago Bulls, Wilkens left to coach the Atlanta Hawks.

Following the hiring of Mike Fratello as head coach starting with the 1993–94 season, the Cavs became one of the NBA's best defensive teams under the leadership of point guard Terrell Brandon. But the offense, which was a half-court, "slow-down" tempo installed by Fratello, met with mixed success. Although the Cavaliers made regular playoff appearances, they were unable to advance beyond the first round.

In 1994, the Cavs moved back to downtown Cleveland with the opening of the 20,562-seat, state-of-the-art, Gund Arena. Known by locals as "the Gund", the venue also served as the site of the 1997 NBA All-Star Game.

Later on, players like Shawn Kemp and Žydrunas Ilgauskas added quality to the team, but without further success. Fratello was fired following the shortened 1998–99 season.

Despite the arrivals of Andre Miller, Brevin Knight, Chris Mihm and Carlos Boozer, the Cavs were a perennial lottery team for the early part of the 2000s. The 2002-03 team finished with the third-worst record in franchise history (17-65), paving the way for a hometown savior to resurrect the franchise.

An all time low for the Cavs was set by Ricky Davis on March 16, 2003. With Cleveland ahead in the game 120–95, Davis was one rebound short of a triple-double with only a few seconds left on the clock. After receiving an inbound pass at the Cavs' end of the floor, Davis banged the ball off the rim and caught it in attempt to receive credit for a rebound. Utah's DeShawn Stevenson took offense to this breach of sportman's etiquette and immediately fouled Davis hard. ^[1] The play did not count as a rebound since firing at your own team's basket does not count as a shot attempt, and in fact is a technical foul under NBA rules. However, since the referees had never seen anyone shoot at their own basket before, they were unfamiliar with the rule and play was allowed to continue. This and countless other selfish acts contributed to the Cavs trading of Davis later that year, and ushering in a new type of team. ^[2]

2003–Present: The LeBron James Era

Several losing seasons followed which saw the Cavaliers drop to the bottom of the league and become a perennial lottery draft team. After another disappointing season in 2002–03, the Cavaliers landed the number one draft pick in the NBA Lottery. The Cavaliers selected high school phenomenon and future NBA MVP LeBron James. Also in 2003, the team colors were changed from burnt orange, red and navy blue back to wine and gold along with a new primary logo.

James' status as both an area star (having played his high school basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron) and as one of the most highly touted prospects in NBA history led many to view his selection as a turning point in the franchise's history. Embraced by Clevelanders as "King James," the 2003–04 season offered great hope for the future, as James rose to become a dominating player, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Hope was even greater for the 2004–05 season. James increased his production in terms of points, rebounds, and assists per game. Despite the loss of Carlos Boozer in the offseason, James teamed with Žydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden to form the core of the team. After a promising start, the Cavs began a downward spiral that eventually led to the firing of coach Paul Silas and general manager Jim Paxson. The team failed to make the playoffs that year, tied with New Jersey Nets for the final playoff spot, however the Nets owned the tiebreaker.

The Cavaliers made many changes in the 2005 offseason. Under new owner Dan Gilbert, the team hired a new head coach, Mike Brown, and a new general manager, former Cavaliers forward Danny Ferry. The team experienced success on the court in the following season, clinching their first playoff appearance since 1998. After a first round win over the Washington Wizards, the Cavaliers rebounded from a 0-2 deficit in the second round against the Detroit Pistons, winning three consecutive games to come one game away from the conference finals. However, they lost a close Game 6 at home, and followed it with a 79–61 loss in Game 7. The playoff rounds were a showcase for the emergence of LeBron James, who achieved many "youngest ever to..." records during the run.

The Cavs continued their success in the 2006–07 season. The team earned the second seed in the East with a 50–32 record, generating a series of favorable matchups in the playoffs. They battled 7th-seeded Wizards, who struggled with injuries near the end of the season. The Cavaliers swept this series 4–0 , and defeated the New Jersey Nets, 4–2, in the second round.

The Cavaliers faced the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Final. After again losing the first two games at Detroit, the Cavaliers won the next three to take a 3–2 series lead. This time, the Cavaliers eliminated Detroit in Game 6. The wins included a 109–107 double-overtime game at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Game 5, in which LeBron James scored the last 25 points for the Cavs, and his performance in this game is recognized as one of the best in NBA history. They continued to a dominant 98–82 win at home in Game 6. Rookie Daniel "Boobie" Gibson scored a career-high 31 points in the series clincher, and the franchise won its first ever Eastern Conference championship. The team's first trip to the NBA Final was a short one, as they were outmatched and outplayed by the very strong San Antonio Spurs, who swept the Cavs 4–0.

The Cavs took a step back in the 2007–08 season. They battled injuries and had many roster changes, including a three team trade at the trade deadline in which the team acquired Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace, and Delonte West. The Cavs finished 45–37 and lost in the second round of the playoffs. In the 2008 off-season, the team made a major change to its lineup, trading Damon Jones and Joe Smith for point guard Mo Williams. This trade was made in hopes of bringing another scorer to aid James.

In the next season, the Cavs made astounding progress. They finished with a record of 66–16, the winningest season in the franchise's history. The year also marked other notable franchise records, including a 13-game winning streak, and road and home winning records. The Cavs entered the playoffs as the #1 seed in the NBA with home court advantage throughout the playoffs. They finished the season 39–2 at home, one win short of the best all-time home record. Head Coach Mike Brown won NBA Coach of the Year honors and LeBron James finished second in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and won the NBA MVP. The Cavs began the 2009 postseason by sweeping the 8th-seeded Detroit Pistons 4–0, winning every game by 10 or more points. In the conference semifinals, the Cavaliers faced the 4th-seeded Atlanta Hawks, who had defeated the Miami Heat in seven games. Despite the Cavaliers' long layoff between the series they swept the Hawks 4–0, again winning each game by at least ten points, becoming the first team in NBA history to win eight straight playoff games by a double-digit margin. The Cavs then met the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs lost Game 1 of the series 107-106 at home despite James' 49-point effort. Though they went on to win Game 2 by a score of 96-95, with a James buzzer beating three-pointer, they would go on to lose the series 4-2 after a 103-90 defeat in Game 6 in Orlando. ^[3]

On June 25, 2009, 4-time NBA Champion and 15-time All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Cavaliers. The trade sent Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix along with the 46th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and $500,000 in cash considerations. ^[4] Also during the 2009 Offseason, the Cavaliers signed forwards Anthony Parker and Leon Powe, and guard Jamario Moon.

Season-by-season records

Logos and Uniforms

The Cavaliers' uniforms switched from blue, black and orange jerseys to wine and gold jerseys in 2003. The team's original colors were wine and gold, were changed to orange and blue during the mid-1980s, and to blue, black and orange in the mid-1990s.

The home uniform is white with wine lettering on the name, navy blue numbers, and wine and gold trim with white socks and shoes.

The road uniform is wine colored with white lettering on the name and number, and gold trim with black socks and shoes.

The alternate uniform (worn both home and road) is navy blue with white letters and numbers and a wine, gold, and navy blue checkerboard trim, with white socks and shoes. The checkerboard trim is a tribute to the mid-1970s Cavaliers uniforms.

In 2008–2009, The Cavaliers wore retro uniforms during selected "Hardwood Classic" home games (as well as some road games) styled after their uniforms from their inaugural season of 1970–71. These uniforms are gold with wine colored trim featuring wine lettering on the name and number with white socks and shoes. There is also an alternate version of the retro uniform, which is royal blue with wine and gold trim, gold lettering on the name and number, with white socks and shoes.

Home arenas

The created some notoriety when it added the DIFF to the scoreboard—the difference between the two teams' scores. This scoreboard addition made such an impact that Tom Batiuk, author of the comic strip, , created a Sunday morning entry "honoring" (or lamenting?) it. Quicken Loans, also owned by Dan Gilbert, began the , themed, "What's the DIFF," pointing out "the DIFF" between "average and excellent." The blog, of course honored Crankshaft's lament of .

Cleveland Clinic Courts

In 2007 the Cavaliers opened their new state-of-the-art practice facility, Cleveland Clinic Courts, in Independence, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. It features many extravagant luxuries, 2 courts, a team meeting room, front office offices, as well as a kitchen among other features. Cleveland Clinic Courts replaces the former 1-court center the team used within Quicken Loans Arena.

Players of note

Basketball Hall of Famers

• Nate Thurmond – Player 1985 (Former player 1975–1977)
• Walt Frazier – Player 1987 (Former player 1977–1980)
• Lenny Wilkens – Player 1989 and Coach 1998 (Former player (1972–1974) and coach (1986–1993)
• Chuck Daly – Coach 1994 (Former coach 1981–1982)
• Wayne Embry Contributor 1999 (Former team president and G.M. (1986–1999) and first African American to serve in that role in the NBA)

Retired numbers

• 7 Bingo Smith, F, 1970–79
• 22 Larry Nance, F, 1988–94
• 25 Mark Price, G, 1986–95
• 34 Austin Carr, G, 1971–80
• 42 Nate Thurmond, C, 1975–77
• 43 Brad Daugherty, C, 1986–94

Current roster

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International rights

Coaches and others

Coaches

Bill Fitch 1970–79 Stan Albeck 1979–80 Bill Musselman 1980–81 Don Delaney 1980–82 Bob Kloppenburg 1981–82 Chuck Daly 1981–82 Bill Musselman 1981–82 Tom Nissalke 1982–84 George Karl 1984–86

Gene Littles 1985–86 Lenny Wilkens 1986–93 Mike Fratello 1993–99 Randy Wittman 1999–2001 John Lucas 2001–03 Keith Smart 2003 Paul Silas 2003–05 Brendan Malone 2005 Mike Brown 2005–present

High points

Franchise leaders

Career

• Games – Danny Ferry (723)
• Minutes Played – Hot Rod Williams (20,802)
• Field Goals Made – LeBron James* (4,647)
• Field Goal Attempts – LeBron James* (9,875)
• 3-Point Field Goals Made – Mark Price (802)
• 3-Point Field Goal Attempts – LeBron James* (1,957)
• Free Throws Made – LeBron James* (3,057)
• Free Throw Attempts – LeBron James* (4,144)
• Offensive Rebounds – Žydrunas Ilgauskas* (2,222)
• Defensive Rebounds – Brad Daugherty (4,020)
• Total Rebounds – Žydrunas Ilgauskas* (5,559)
• Assists – Mark Price (4,206)
• Steals – LeBron James* (830)
• Blocked Shots – Žydrunas Ilgauskas* (1,219)
• Turnovers – LeBron James* (1,541)
• Personal Fouls – Žydrunas Ilgauskas* (2,408)
• Points – LeBron James* (12,993)

* Active (through 2008–2009 regular season)

Per game

• Minutes Played – LeBron James (42.4)
• Field Goals Made – LeBron James (11.1)
• Field Goals Attempted – LeBron James (23.1)
• 3-Point Field Goals Made – Dan Majerle (1.7805)
• 3-Point Field Goal Attempted – Dan Majerle (5.0488)
• Free Throws Made – LeBron James (7.3)
• Free Throws Attempted – LeBron James (10.3)
• Offensive Rebounds – Žydrunas Ilgauskas (3.1772)
• Defensive Rebounds – Cliff Robinson (8.1056)
• Total Rebounds – Rick Roberson (11.952)
• Assists – Andre Miller (8.2245)
• Steals – Ron Harper (2.3246)
• Blocked Shots – Larry Nance (2.5104)
• Turnovers – Shawn Kemp (3.3775)
• Personal Fouls – James Edwards (4.4348)
• Points – LeBron James (30.0)

Per 48 minutes

• Field Goals Made – LeBron James (12.5333333)
• Field Goals Attempted – World B. Free (27.5801)
• 3-Point Field Goals Made – Damon Jones (3.2153)
• 3-Point Field Goals Attempted – Damon Jones (8.5206)
• Free Throws Made – LeBron James (9.33333333)
• Free Throws Attempted – LeBron James (12)
• Offensive Rebounds – Chris Dudley (6.4515)
• Defensive Rebounds – Cliff Robinson (11.7721)
• Total Rebounds – Rick Roberson (16.5464)
• Assists – Brevin Knight (12.5395)
• Steals – Foots Walker (3.3854)
• Blocked Shots – Elmore Smith (4.2677)
• Turnovers – Shawn Kemp (4.9097)
• Personal Fouls – Mark West (8.3082)
• Points – LeBron James (36.2666667)

Individual awards

NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James – 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year LeBron James – 2004 '''NBA Coach of the Year Bill Fitch – 1976 Mike Brown – 2009 '''NBA Coach of the Month George Karl – February 1985 Lenny Wilkens – April 1988, December 1988, February 1993 Mike Fratello – December 1994, December 1995 Mike Brown – January 2008, December 2008, February 2009, March 2009 '''NBA Executive of the Year Wayne Embry – 1992, 1998 NBA All-Rookie First Team Austin Carr – 1972 Dwight Davis – 1973 Brad Daugherty – 1987 Ron Harper – 1987 John Williams – 1987 Brevin Knight – 1998 Zydrunas Ilgauskas – 1998 Andre Miller – 2000 LeBron James – 2004 NBA All-Rookie Second Team Terrell Brandon – 1992 Cedric Henderson – 1998 Derek Anderson – 1998 Chris Mihm – 2001 Carlos Boozer – 2003

All-NBA First Team Mark Price – 1993 LeBron James – 2006, 2008, 2009 All-NBA Second Team LeBron James – 2005, 2007 All-NBA Third Team Mark Price – 1989, 1992, 1994 Brad Daugherty – 1992 NBA All-Defensive First Team Larry Nance – 1989 LeBron James – 2009 NBA All-Defensive Second Team Jim Cleamons – 1976 Jim Brewer – 1976, 1977 Larry Nance – 1992, 1993 Bobby Phills – 1996 NBA Player of the Month LeBron James – November 2004, January 2005, November 2005, March 2006, March 2007, January 2008, February 2008, November 2008, January 2009, March 2009, April 2009

NBA All-Star Weekend

NBA All-Star Game John Johnson – 1971, 1972 Butch Beard – 1972 Lenny Wilkens – 1973, 1989 (Head Coach) Austin Carr – 1974 Campy Russell – 1979 Mike Mitchell – 1981 Brad Daugherty – 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993 Larry Nance – 1989, 1993 Mark Price – 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994 Tyrone Hill – 1995 Terrell Brandon – 1996, 1997 Shawn Kemp – 1998* Žydrunas Ilgauskas – 2003, 2005 LeBron James – 2005*, 2006* (MVP), 2007*, 2008* (MVP), 2009* Mo Williams – 2009 Mike Brown – 2009 (Head Coach) * Starter Long Distance Shootout Mark Price – 1988 (5th), 1990 (7th), 1993 (1st), 1994 (1st) Craig Ehlo – 1990 (5th), 1992 (6th) Bob Sura – 2000 (8th) Wesley Person – 2002 (2nd) Damon Jones – 2007 (5th) Daniel Gibson – 2008 (2nd)

Slam Dunk Contest Roy Hinson – 1986 (7th) Ron Harper – 1987 (5th), 1989 (7th) Bob Sura – 1997 (5th) Skills Challenge LeBron James – 2006 (2nd), 2007 (3rd) Mo Williams – 2009 (3rd) Rookie Challenge Chris Mills – 1994 Bob Sura – 1996 Vitaly Potapenko – 1997 Žydrunas Ilgauskas – 1998 (MVP) Brevin Knight – 1998 Cedric Henderson – 1998 Derek Anderson – 1998 (DNP) Andre Miller – 2000 (R), 2001 (S) Chris Mihm – 2002 (S) Carlos Boozer – 2003 (R), 2004 (S) Dajuan Wagner – 2003 (R) LeBron James – 2004 (R), 2005 (S) Daniel Gibson – 2008 (S, MVP) Two Ball Contest Wesley Person w/ Michelle Edwards – 1998 (7th) Trajan Langdon w/ Eva Nemcova – 2001 (2nd)

Media

Radio

WTAM (AM 1100), a news/talk station in Cleveland, is the flagship of a 16 station Cavaliers radio network. ^[5] Select games can be heard on hot talk/rock station WMMS (FM 100.7) when there is a conflict with the Cleveland Indians. All playoff games air on WTAM, and any conflicted Indians games go to WMMS.

Veteran broadcaster Joe Tait has served as the team's radio play-by-play announcer since its inception in 1970, with a brief break away from the team in the period when it was owned by Ted Stepien. Tait is considered one of the prominent announcers in professional sports. On March 26, 2008, Tait was honored by the organization for calling his 3,000th Cleveland Cavaliers game. ^[6]

WTAM morning co-host/sports director Mike Snyder hosts the pregame, halftime, and postgame shows, and fills in for Tait when he is out. Producer/reporter Scott Zurella is also featured during pre and postgame coverage. Former Cavaliers center and color analyst Jim Chones joins Snyder for the postgame show. ^[7]

Television

The vast majority of Cavaliers' TV games air on cable and satellite on FSN Ohio, with select games (both regular season and playoffs) simulcast on WUAB (Channel 43) in Cleveland, the longtime free TV home of the Cavs. Channel 43 has aired games from 1973 to 1987, and from 1994 to present. WOIO Channel 19 served as the Cavs TV flagship from 1987–1994.

Play-by-play announcer Fred McLeod and analyst Austin Carr, a former Cavaliers star, handle local TV commentary. Veteran Cleveland sportscaster Jeff Phelps and former Cavaliers star Campy Russell host the pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows.

Mascots

Moondog

Moondog is the official mascot of the Cavaliers. Like a growing number of NBA Mascots, the character has a unique connection not just to the team, but to city or area. Cleveland is known worldwide as the rock and roll city, due to famed Cleveland radio disc jockey Alan Freed, who popularized the phrase "rock and roll", breaking new ground and sparking a music explosion.

Freed called himself the "Moondog", and his listeners were "Moondoggers". When the Cavaliers looked to create a new mascot which represents the city, Moondog was a natural selection. Like Alan Freed, the mascot aims to be innovative, fun-loving, passionate and controversial.

Moondog was an NBA All-Star selection in 2003 and 2004. He is best known for his behind the back half-court shot and fierce loyalty to his Cavaliers. His first appearance was on November 5, 2003.

Whammer

Whammer is the former mascot of the Cavs. He is a polar bear who is said to have grown up in the tundra. He still makes various appearances throughout the year at Cavalier games. At halftime he would dunk the ball into the basket. He made his debut in a November 9, 1995 game against the Chicago Bulls. Recently when Moondog, the current Cavaliers mascot was asked what Whammer was up to these days he responded "He e-mails the braintrust of the Cavs about twice a week trying to get his old job back. I throw him a bone occasionally and invite him back, mostly to mock him. Finally he's good for a laugh." ^[8]

References

1. Jazz take offense when Cavaliers' Davis tries to pad stats
2. Cavs part with Davis in 3-for-3 trade
3. Cavaliers at Magic Yahoo Sports
4. "ESPN", http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4285489, Retrieved June 24, 2009.
5. Cavs multimedia
6. The Great Tait to Call His 3,000th Cavaliers Game
7. Jim Chones to join each Cavaliers home post-game Alltel Call-in Show on WTAM, ''NBA.com'', November 14, 2007.
8. Cleveland.com homepage Mascot's job is ruff, but Moondog's ready to rock. Accessed April 20, 2007.