2017–18 Cleveland Cavaliers season
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The 2017–18 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 48th season of the franchise in the
The Cavaliers clinched their playoff berth for the fourth consecutive season since
With the loss in the Finals for the second consecutive year, the Cavaliers had become the first team since the
This marked the last season the Cavaliers made the playoffs until their 2022–23 season.
Offseason
On August 30, 2017, Kyrie Irving was traded to the
Draft
The Cavaliers did not have a pick in the 2017 NBA draft.[6]
Preseason summary
The Cavaliers entered the offseason having lost in five games to the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals.[7] On June 19, 2017 – a week after the last game of the 2016–17 season – Cavaliers general manager David Griffin agreed to leave the team.[8] During July, Cleveland competed in the MGM Resorts Summer League in Las Vegas.[9]
During the middle of July, star point guard Kyrie Irving – citing serious concerns about the team's future and strains in his relationship with teammate LeBron James – informed the team of his desire to be traded out of Cleveland.[10][11] Around that time, his list of teams he wanted to be traded to included the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs.[10][12] While James was against the idea of trading his teammate and asked the team not to trade him,[13] Irving reportedly threatened to have knee surgery and sit out regular season games if he wasn't traded.[14] The Cavaliers hired their new general manager, Koby Altman, on July 24, 2017 amidst the chaos surrounding Irving.[15]
On August 22, 2017, the Cavaliers announced they had traded Irving to the
After considering signing with teams such as the
Regular season summary
The team played their first regular season game of the year on October 17, 2017 against the Boston Celtics, when Celtics small forward Gordon Hayward gruesomely injured his leg in the first quarter. The Cavaliers would go on to defeat the Celtics, 102–99.[21]
On January 2, 2018, Thomas made his Cavaliers debut, scoring 17 points in 19 minutes played in a 127–110 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.[22] Despite this auspicious start, Thomas and the team soon began to struggle, leading to locker room unrest, including a number of public criticisms of the team by Thomas.[23][24] During Thomas' brief time playing for Cleveland, the Cavaliers amassed a record of 7–8.[25]
On February 8, 2018 – just before the NBA trade deadline – the Cavaliers radically changed their roster in a little more than an hour.[26][27] First, the Cavaliers traded Thomas, power forward Channing Frye, and their own first-round pick (which was top-three protected) to the Los Angeles Lakers for power forward Larry Nance Jr. and shooting guard Jordan Clarkson.[25][28][29] Next, the Cavaliers engaged in a three-team trade with the Sacramento Kings and the Utah Jazz. The Cavaliers received point guard George Hill and shooting guard Rodney Hood.[30][31] The Kings received Joe Johnson, Iman Shumpert, the Miami Heat's 2020 second-round pick, and $3 million in cash considerations.[30] The Jazz received Crowder and Derrick Rose.[32][33] Finally, the Cavaliers traded Wade to the Miami Heat for a heavily protected 2024 second-round pick.[28][34] Multiple writers argued at the time that the trades made the Cavaliers significantly better.[35][36][37]
On March 19, 2018, the team announced that head coach Tyronn Lue would be taking a leave of absence from the team due to health issues including "chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep."[38] It would later be revealed that his situation involved job-related anxiety.[39] In his absence, associate head coach Larry Drew coached the team.[38]
The Cavaliers clinched a place in the 2018 NBA playoffs on March 22, 2018 with the Houston Rockets' 100–96 victory over the Detroit Pistons.[40] Lue returned to coach the Cavaliers on April 5, 2018, in a 119–115 victory over the Washington Wizards.[41]
The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a record of 50–32, good for a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference.[42]
Postseason summary
In the first round of the playoffs, the fourth seeded Cavaliers faced the fifth-seeded
The Cavaliers advanced to face the top-seeded Toronto Raptors, the same team that they defeated in the 2017 Eastern Conference semi-finals.[45] Cleveland swept Toronto, leading to an Eastern Conference finals matchup against the second-seeded Boston Celtics for the second consecutive year.[46][47]
After losing in the first two games of the series,[48][49] the Cavaliers battled back to tie the series at 2–2.[50][51] The Celtics won Game 5 and the Cavaliers won Game 6, setting up a pivotal Game 7 at the TD Garden.[52][53] Despite playing without Kevin Love – who suffered a concussion during Game 6 that prevented him from playing in the final game of the series[54] – the Cavaliers won Game 7, 87–79, to win the conference finals and advance to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive season.[55] Additionally, James made the NBA Finals for the eighth straight season.[56]
2018 NBA Finals
For the fourth straight year, the Cavaliers played the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.[57] The Cavaliers and the Warriors became the first teams to make the finals for the fourth consecutive season since the 1984–85 Los Angeles Lakers.[58] The Warriors entered the series as heavy favorites.[59][60]
Game 1
The fourth quarter of Game 1 ended in controversial fashion.
During the ensuing possession, Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson fouled George Hill with 4.7 seconds left, sending Hill to the free-throw line.[62] The NBA's "Last Two Minute Report" later confirmed that Warriors forward Draymond Green had fouled James with 12.1 seconds to go in the game.[65] If Green's foul had been noticed in real time, James – who shot 10-for-11 from the line in Game 1 – would have taken the free throws, rather than Hill.[65] Hill tied the game at 107 by making his first free throw, then missed the second attempt.[62] The L2M Report revealed that Green committed a lane violation on the second free throw.[65] If it had been called in real time, Hill would have been able to retake the free throw.[65]
Cavaliers shooting guard J. R. Smith recovered the rebound and then dribbled out the clock, appearing to have forgotten the score as well as the fact that Cleveland still had one timeout to call.[62][66] The Warriors easily won the game in overtime, 124–114, leading numerous commentators – including current and former players[67] – to accuse Smith of having cost the Cavaliers the game,[66][68][69] as well as having wasted James' performance of 51 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.[70] Smith later claimed that he knew the game was tied, an assertion belied by the visual evidence as well as the testimony of Tyronn Lue.[66][71]
After the game, James punched a blackboard with his right hand in an expression of his frustration with the team's level of play.[72] The impact of the punch broke his hand.[72] James played through the injury for the rest of the series without revealing it to the media or the general public, and news of the event did not emerge until after the series had ended.[72][73]
Game 2
Golden State beat Cleveland handily in Game 2, 122–103.[74] Playing through an eye injury that he suffered during Game 1, James posted 29 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists.[74]
Game 3
In Game 3 at
Game 4
Golden State held a nine-point lead at halftime, 61–52.[77] The Warriors – as they had throughout the season[78][79] – built their lead further in the third quarter and entered the last period of play with an 86–65 advantage.[80] LeBron James departed the game with 4:03 left in the fourth quarter, with small forward Cedi Osman replacing him.[81] James received a standing ovation from the crowd.[80] His final stat line included 23 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.[77] Over the course of the series, James averaged 34 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 10 assists.[81]
With their 108–85 victory, the Warriors sealed their sweep of the Cavaliers and their third championship in four seasons.
Roster
2017–18 Cleveland Cavaliers roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
Division
Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y – Cleveland Cavaliers | 50 | 32 | .610 | – | 29–12 | 21–20 | 11–5 | 82 |
x – Indiana Pacers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2.0 | 27–14 | 21–20 | 10–6 | 82 |
x – Milwaukee Bucks | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6.0 | 25–16 | 19–22 | 6–10 | 82 |
Detroit Pistons | 39 | 43 | .476 | 11.0 | 25–16 | 14–27 | 9–7 | 82 |
Chicago Bulls | 27 | 55 | .329 | 23.0 | 17–24 | 10–31 | 4–12 | 82 |
Conference
Eastern Conference | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
1 | c – Toronto Raptors * | 59 | 23 | .720 | – | 82 |
2 | x – Boston Celtics | 55 | 27 | .671 | 4.0 | 82 |
3 | x – Philadelphia 76ers | 52 | 30 | .634 | 7.0 | 82 |
4 | y – Cleveland Cavaliers * | 50 | 32 | .610 | 9.0 | 82 |
5 | x – Indiana Pacers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 11.0 | 82 |
6 | y – Miami Heat * | 44 | 38 | .537 | 15.0 | 82 |
7 | x – Milwaukee Bucks | 44 | 38 | .537 | 15.0 | 82 |
8 | x – Washington Wizards | 43 | 39 | .524 | 16.0 | 82 |
9 | Detroit Pistons | 39 | 43 | .476 | 20.0 | 82 |
10 | Charlotte Hornets | 36 | 46 | .439 | 23.0 | 82 |
11 | New York Knicks | 29 | 53 | .354 | 30.0 | 82 |
12 | Brooklyn Nets | 28 | 54 | .341 | 31.0 | 82 |
13 | Chicago Bulls | 27 | 55 | .329 | 32.0 | 82 |
14 | Orlando Magic | 25 | 57 | .305 | 34.0 | 82 |
15 | Atlanta Hawks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
2017 pre-season game log Total: 1–4 (home: 0–3; road: 1–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pre-season: 1–4 (home: 0–3; road: 1–1)
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2017–18 season schedule |
Regular season
2017–18 game log Total: 50–32 (home: 29–12; road: 21–20) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 3–4 (home: 2–2; road: 1–2)
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November: 12–3 (home: 5–2; road: 7–1)
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December: 9–5 (home: 7–0; road: 2–5)
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January: 6–8 (home: 5–2; road: 1–6)
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February: 6–4 (home: 2–3; road: 4–1)
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March: 10–6 (home: 5–2; road: 5–4)
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April: 4–2 (home: 3–1; road: 1–1)
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2017–18 season schedule |
Playoffs
2018 playoff game log Total: 12–10 (home: 8–3; road: 4–7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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Conference Finals: 4–3 (home: 3–0; road: 1–3)
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NBA Finals: 0–4 (home: 0–2; road: 0–2)
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2018 playoff schedule |
Transactions
Trades
August 30, 2017[17] | To Cleveland Cavaliers Isaiah Thomas Jae Crowder Ante Žižić 2018 first-round pick (from Brooklyn) 2020 second round pick (from Miami) |
To Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving |
October 14, 2017[20] | To Cleveland Cavaliers Rights to Sergiy Gladyr Rights to Dimitrios Agravanis |
To Atlanta Hawks Richard Jefferson Kay Felder 2019 second-round pick 2020 Portland second-round pick Cash considerations |
February 8, 2018[31] | ||
To Cleveland Cavaliers Rodney Hood (from Utah) George Hill (from Sacramento) Draft rights to Artūras Gudaitis (from Sacramento) |
To Sacramento Kings Joe Johnson (from Utah) Iman Shumpert (from Cleveland) 2020 second round pick (from Miami via Cleveland) Draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis (from Cleveland) Cash considerations (from Cleveland and Utah) | |
To Utah Jazz Jae Crowder (from Cleveland) Derrick Rose (from Cleveland) Right to swap 2024 second round picks with Cleveland | ||
February 8, 2018[25][28] | ||
To Cleveland Cavaliers Larry Nance Jr. Jordan Clarkson |
To Los Angeles Lakers Isaiah Thomas Channing Frye 2018 first-round pick (from Cleveland) | |
To Cleveland Cavaliers Conditional 2024 second round pick |
To Miami Heat Dwyane Wade |
Free agency
Re-signed
Player | Signed |
---|---|
Kyle Korver[83] | 3-year contract worth $22 million |
Additions
Player | Signed | Former team |
---|---|---|
José Calderón[84] | 1-year contract worth $2.3 million | Atlanta Hawks |
Jeff Green[85] | 1-year contract worth $2.3 million | Orlando Magic |
Cedi Osman[86] | 3-year contract worth $8.3 million | Anadolu Efes |
Derrick Rose[87] | 1-year contract worth $2.1 million | New York Knicks |
John Holland[88] | Two-way contract | Canton Charge
|
Dwyane Wade[19] | 1-year contract worth $2.3 million | Chicago Bulls |
London Perrantes[89] | Two-way contract | Virginia Cavaliers |
Marcus Thornton[90] | Signed a 10-day contract | Canton Charge
|
Kendrick Perkins[91] | Signed for the rest of the season | Canton Charge
|
Subtractions
Player | Reason left | New team |
---|---|---|
James Jones[92]
|
Retired | Phoenix Suns (Vice President of Basketball Operations) |
Walter Tavares[93]
|
Waived | Raptors 905 / Real Madrid Baloncesto |
Derrick Williams[94] | UFA | Tianjin Gold Lions / Los Angeles Lakers
|
Deron Williams[95] | UFA | Unknown |
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