1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers season

The 1988-89 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 19th season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio.[2] During the off-season, the team signed free agent Tree Rollins,[3][4][5] and acquired Darnell Valentine from the expansion Miami Heat.[6][7][8] The Cavaliers started their season with a 133–93 road win over the expansion Charlotte Hornets on November 4, 1988, which was the Hornets' first game in franchise history,[9][10][11][12] then posted an 11-game winning streak between December and January, which led to a successful 24–5 start,[13][14] held a 35–11 record at the All-Star break,[15] and finished the season with a 57–25 record, setting a franchise high.[16] This record was tied for 2nd best in the NBA, finishing 2nd in the Central Division.

1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers season
Head coachLenny Wilkens
General managerWayne Embry
ArenaRichfield Coliseum
Results
Record57–25 (.695)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Central)
Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Bulls 2–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWOIO
(Joe Tait, Jim Chones)
RadioWRMR[1]
(Joe Tait, Jim Johnson)

Mark Price and Brad Daugherty both led the team in scoring with 18.9 points per game each, while Price contributed 8.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while being selected to the All-NBA Third Team, and Daugherty averaged 9.2 rebounds per game. In addition, Ron Harper averaged 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 contributed 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game off the bench. Mike Sanders provided with 9.3 points per game, and Craig Ehlo contributed 7.4 points and 1.3 steals per game off the bench.[17]

Price, Daugherty and Nance were all selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, with head coach Lenny Wilkens coaching the Eastern Conference;[18][19][20][21][22] however, Harper was not selected for the All-Star Game.[23][24] Price also finished in tenth place in Most Valuable Player voting,[25][26] and Wilkens finished in third place in Coach of the Year voting.[27][28]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers were eliminated by Michael Jordan's 6th-seeded Chicago Bulls in five games, thanks to a memorable series-clinching shot by Jordan.[29][30][31][32]

Key Dates:

Draft picks
Main article: 1988 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 22 Randolph Keys Forward  United States Southern Miss
3 64 Winston Bennett Forward  United States Kentucky

Roster
1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOBFrom
C 43 Daugherty, Brad (C) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1965–10–19 North Carolina
C 24 Dudley, Chris 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1965–02–22 Yale
G/F 3 Ehlo, Craig 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1961–08–11 Washington State
G 4 Harper, Ron 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1964–01–20 Miami (OH)
F 35 Hubbard, Phil 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1956–12–13 Michigan
F 31 Keys, Randolph 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1966–04–19 Southern Miss
F 22 Nance, Larry (C) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1959–02–12 Clemson
G 25 Price, Mark (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1964–02–15 Georgia Tech
C 30 Rollins, Tree 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1955–06–16 Clemson
F 11 Sanders, Mike 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1960–05–07 UCLA
G 1 Valentine, Darnell 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1959–02–03 Kansas
F/C 18 Williams, Hot Rod 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1962–08–09 Tulane
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: August 2, 1988

Regular season

Season standings
Central Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Detroit Pistons 6319.768–37–426–1520–10
x-Cleveland Cavaliers 5725.695637–420–2119–11
x-Atlanta Hawks 5230.6341133–819–2220–10
x-Milwaukee Bucks 4933.5981431–1018–2311–19
x-Chicago Bulls 4735.5731630–1117–2412–18
Indiana Pacers 2854.3413520–218–338–22
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Detroit Pistons6319.768–
2 y-New York Knicks5230.63411
3 x-Cleveland Cavaliers5725.6956
4 x-Atlanta Hawks5230.63411
5 x-Milwaukee Bucks4933.59814
6 x-Chicago Bulls4735.57316
7 x-Philadelphia 76ers4636.56117
8 x-Boston Celtics4240.51221
9 Washington Bullets4042.48823
10 Indiana Pacers2854.34135
11 New Jersey Nets2656.31737
12 Charlotte Hornets2062.24443

Notes

  • z, y – division champions
  • x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents
1988-89 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL NJN NYK PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta –3–14–14–24–21–10–21–51–11–15–12–01–11–16–04–12–22–21–11–12–01–11–11–13–1
Boston 1–3–6–01–31–41–11–11–31–11–12–32–01–12–02–25–13–33–30–21–12–02–00–21–12–4
Charlotte 1–40–6–1–40–40–20–20–40–20–22–22–00–21–10–42–42–43–30–20–21–12–01–11–11–5
Chicago 2–43–14–1–0–62–01–10–61–11–14–21–12–02–06–02–23–21–31–12–02–02–02–00–23–1
Cleveland 2–44–14–06–0–2–02–03–31–11–15–11–10–22–03–34–02–23–22–02–02–02–01–11–12–2
Dallas 1–11–12–00–20–2–3–30–21–31–51–13–10–46–00–21–10–21–11–32–22–25–12–24–21–1
Denver 2–01–12–01–10–23–3–1–13–14–21–12–21–35–10–21–11–11–11–32–23–13–32–23–31–1
Detroit 5–13–14–06–03–32–01–1–1–11–14–22–02–02–02–44–00–45–02–01–12–02–02–02–05–0
Golden State 1–11–12–01–11–13–11–31–1–1–31–15–12–34–00–22–02–01–12–42–42–33–12–42–21–1
Houston 1–11–12–01–11–15–12–41–13–1–2–02–21–34–21–12–00–20–21–33–12–26–02–22–40–2
Indiana 1–53–22–22–41–51–11–12–41–10–2–1–10–21–12–41–30–50–41–12–01–12–01–11–11–3
L.A. Clippers 0–20–20–21–11–11–32–20–21–52–21–1–1–51–30–21–10–20–21–51–52–33–11–41–30–2
L.A. Lakers 1–11–12–00–22–04–03–10–23–23–12–05–1–4–01–11–11–12–03–35–05–13–14–21–31–1
Miami 1–10–21–10–20–20–61–50–20–42–41–13–10–4–0–21–11–10–20–40–41–32–40–41–50–2
Milwaukee 0–62–24–00–63–32–02–04–22–01–14–22–01–12–0–4–11–33–11–12–02–01–11–11–14–1
New Jersey 1–41–54–22–20–41–11–10–40–20–23–11–11–11–11–4–2–41–51–10–21–11–12–00–21–5
New York 2–23–34–22–32–22–01–14–00–22–05–02–01–11–13–14–2–2–41–12–01–11–11–11–15–1
Philadelphia 2–23–33–33–12–31–11–10–51–12–04–02–00–22–01–35–14–2–0–21–12–01–11–11–14–2
Phoenix 1–12–02–01–10–23–13–10–24–23–11–15–13–34–01–11–11–12–0–2–35–13–14–12–22–0
Portland 1–11–12–00–20–22–22–21–14–21–30–25–10–54–00–22–00–21–13–2–3–34–02–40–41–1
Sacramento 0–20–21–10–20–22–21–30–23–22–21–13–21–53–10–21–11–10–21–53–3–2–21–51–30–2
San Antonio 1–10–20–20–20–21–53–30–21–30–60–21–31–34–21–11–11–11–11–30–42–2–0–41–51–1
Seattle 1–12–01–10–21–12–22–20–24–22–21–14–12–44–01–10–21–11–11–44–25–14–0–3–11–1
Utah 1–11–11–12–01–12–43–30–22–24–21–13–13–15–11–12–01–11–12–24–03–15–11–3–2–0
Washington 1–34–25–11–32–21–11–10–51–12–03–12–01–12–01–45–11–52–40–21–12–01–11–10–2—

Game log
1988–89 game log
Total: 57–25 (home: 37–4; road: 20–21)
November: 8–3 (home: 4–1; road: 4–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1November 4, 1988@ Charlotte
2November 5, 1988@ Indiana
3November 9, 1988L.A. Clippers
4November 12, 1988Indiana
5November 15, 1988
8:00 pm EST		Atlanta L 95–97 Daugherty (22) Williams (11) Price (10) Richfield Coliseum
15,684		 4–1
6November 18, 1988@ New Jersey
7November 19, 1988Milwaukee
8November 22, 1988@ Boston
(at Hartford, CT)
9November 23, 1988@ Philadelphia
10November 26, 1988@ New York
11November 27, 1988Miami
December: 12–2 (home: 8–1; road: 4–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
12December 1, 1988@ Milwaukee
13December 2, 1988Boston
14December 4, 1988Denver
15December 6, 1988@ Houston
16December 8, 1988@ San Antonio
17December 10, 1988@ Dallas
18December 13, 1988L.A. Lakers
19December 15, 1988Detroit
20December 17, 1988
7:30 pm EST		Atlanta W 120–94 Price (23) Daugherty,
Harper (9)		 Price (8) Richfield Coliseum
18,815		 15–5
21December 20, 1988Utah
22December 21, 1988@ Boston
23December 23, 1988Seattle
24December 27, 1988@ Chicago
25December 28, 1988Charlotte
26December 30, 1988Washington
January: 11–4 (home: 7–0; road: 4–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
27January 3, 1989Indiana
28January 5, 1989Chicago
29January 7, 1989New York
30January 9, 1989@ Seattle
31January 11, 1989@ Phoenix
32January 13, 1989@ L.A. Lakers
33January 14, 1989@ Denver
34January 16, 1989Phoenix
35January 19, 1989@ Indiana
36January 21, 1989New Jersey
37January 23, 1989Golden State
38January 24, 1989
7:30 pm EST		@ Atlanta L 105–121 Nance (28) Daugherty (9) Price (9) The Omni
16,371		 30–8
39January 27, 1989@ Detroit
40January 29, 1989@ Washington
(at Baltimore, MD)
41January 31, 1989Philadelphia
February: 10–3 (home: 8–0; road: 2–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
42February 2, 1989@ New York
43February 3, 1989Sacramento
44February 5, 1989@ Charlotte
45February 7, 1989@ Milwaukee
46February 9, 1989Indiana
All-Star Break
47February 14, 1989@ Miami
48February 15, 1989New York
49February 17, 1989
8:00 pm EST		@ Atlanta L 100–108 Price (29) Daugherty (13) Harper (5) The Omni
16,371		 37–12
50February 18, 1989Philadelphia
51February 20, 1989Houston
52February 22, 1989New Jersey
53February 24, 1989Portland
54February 28, 1989Detroit
March: 9–8 (home: 5–1; road: 4–7)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
55March 2, 1989San Antonio
56March 3, 1989@ Detroit
57March 5, 1989Milwaukee
58March 7, 1989@ Sacramento
59March 9, 1989@ Golden State
60March 10, 1989@ L.A. Clippers
61March 12, 1989@ Portland
62March 13, 1989@ Utah
63March 15, 1989Chicago
64March 19, 1989@ New Jersey
65March 20, 1989Washington
66March 22, 1989@ Philadelphia
67March 23, 1989Milwaukee
68March 25, 1989@ Milwaukee
69March 27, 1989@ Indiana
70March 28, 1989Dallas
71March 31, 1989@ Chicago
April: 6–5 (home: 5–1; road: 1–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
72April 2, 1989Boston
73April 4, 1989
7:30 pm EDT		Atlanta W 105–91 Harper (32) Daugherty (17) Price (13) Richfield Coliseum
19,322		 53–20
74April 7, 1989@ Washington
75April 9, 1989Charlotte
76April 11, 1989Philadelphia
77April 12, 1989@ Detroit
78April 14, 1989@ Boston
79April 16, 1989Chicago
80April 18, 1989Detroit
81April 21, 1989
7:30 pm EDT		@ Atlanta L 89–92 Harper (18) Harper,
Rollins (8)		 Ehlo (8) The Omni
16,371		 56–25
82April 23, 1989@ Chicago
1988–89 schedule

Playoffs
1989 playoff game log
First round: 2–3 (home: 1–2; road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 28 Chicago L 88–95 Craig Ehlo (19) Brad Daugherty (7) Darnell Valentine (6) Richfield Coliseum
19,312		 0–1
2 April 30 Chicago W 96–88 Ron Harper (31) Ron Harper (11) Larry Nance (5) Richfield Coliseum
20,273		 1–1
3 May 3 @ Chicago L 94–101 Hot Rod Williams (22) Hot Rod Williams (11) Darnell Valentine (8) Chicago Stadium
17,721		 1–2
4 May 5 @ Chicago W 108–105 (OT) Larry Nance (27) Brad Daugherty (17) Mark Price (7) Chicago Stadium
18,264		 2–2
5 May 7 Chicago L 100–101 Craig Ehlo (24) Brad Daugherty (11) Mark Price (7) Richfield Coliseum
20,273		 2–3
1989 schedule

Player stats
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Regular season
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Mark Price 75 74 36.4 52.6 44.1 90.1 3.0 8.4 1.5 0.1 18.9
Brad Daugherty 78 78 36.2 53.8 33.3 73.7 9.2 3.7 0.8 0.5 18.9
Ron Harper 82 82 34.8 51.1 25.0 75.1 5.0 5.3 2.3 0.9 18.6
Larry Nance 73 72 34.6 53.9 0.0 79.9 8.0 2.2 0.8 2.8 17.2
Hot Rod Williams 82 10 25.9 50.9 25.0 74.8 5.8 1.3 0.9 1.6 11.6
Mike Sanders 82 82 25.6 45.3 30.0 71.9 3.7 1.6 1.1 0.4 9.3
Craig Ehlo 82 4 22.8 47.5 39.0 60.7 3.6 3.2 1.3 0.2 7.4
Darnell Valentine 77 4 14.1 42.6 21.4 81.3 1.3 2.3 0.7 0.1 4.8
Randolph Keys 42 0 7.9 43.0 10.0 69.0 1.3 0.5 0.3 0.1 4.0
Chris Dudley 61 2 8.9 43.5 0.0 36.4 2.6 0.3 0.1 0.4 3.0
Phil Hubbard 31 0 6.2 44.4 0.0 68.0 1.3 0.4 0.2 0.0 2.4
Tree Rollins 60 2 9.7 44.9 0.0 63.2 2.3 0.3 0.2 0.6 2.3

Playoffs
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Ron Harper 5 5 37.8 56.5 0.0 76.9 4.2 4.0 2.2 0.8 19.6
Larry Nance 5 5 39.0 55.1 0.0 65.6 7.8 3.2 0.6 2.4 19.4
Mark Price 4 4 39.5 38.6 37.5 93.3 3.3 5.5 0.8 0.0 16.0
Craig Ehlo 4 1 24.3 43.6 38.5 81.8 1.5 3.3 0.8 0.3 12.0
Brad Daugherty 5 5 33.4 36.2 0.0 60.0 9.2 2.4 1.2 1.0 11.0
Hot Rod Williams 5 2 32.2 46.7 0.0 72.2 6.8 2.0 0.4 1.4 11.0
Mike Sanders 5 3 17.4 50.0 0.0 60.0 3.2 0.8 0.4 0.2 6.6
Darnell Valentine 5 0 16.0 35.0 0.0 87.5 1.4 3.2 1.0 0.0 4.2
Tree Rollins 5 0 14.8 75.0 0.0 60.0 3.2 0.2 0.6 1.4 3.0
Randolph Keys 1 0 12.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Chris Dudley 1 0 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Phil Hubbard 1 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Player Statistics Citation:[17]

Awards and records

Awards

Transactions

References
  1. Dyer, Bob (January 30, 1988). "Cavs End Contract with WWWE". Akron Beacon Journal. Beacon Journal Publishing Co. p. B8.
  2. "1988-89 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats".
  3. "Atlanta Hawks Center Wayne Tree Rollins, a..." Chicago Tribune. August 1, 1988. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  4. Exner, Rich (August 2, 1988). "The Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday Announced the Signing of Free-Agent..." United Press International. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  5. "SPORTS PEOPLE; Rollins to Cavaliers". The New York Times. August 3, 1988. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  6. Goldaper, Sam (June 24, 1988). "Miami Chooses 'Who?' First". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  7. Edes, Gordon (June 24, 1988). "Billy Thompson Goes to Miami; Valentine Winds Up in Cleveland". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  8. Aldridge, David (June 24, 1988). "Charlotte Club Drafts Bogues from Bullets". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  9. "Ron Harper Contributed 22 Points and 5 Steals Friday..." United Press International. November 4, 1988. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  10. "NBA'S Hornets Debut with a 40-Point Loss". The Washington Post. November 5, 1988. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  11. "Major Moments in Charlotte's Sports History: A Timeline". Charlotte Magazine. Magazine Staff. July 26, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  12. "Cleveland Cavaliers at Charlotte Hornets Box Score, November 4, 1988". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  13. Goldaper, Sam (January 8, 1989). "PRO BASKETBALL; Cavaliers Trip Up Weary Knicks". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  14. "New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers Box Score, January 7, 1989". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  15. "NBA Games Played on February 9, 1989". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  16. "1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  17. "1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  18. Goldaper, Sam (February 1, 1989). "BASKETBALL; Jackson and Ewing Are Chosen as All-Stars". The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  19. "3 Cavs Named as Reserves for NBA's East All-Star Squad". Deseret News. February 1, 1989. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  20. McManis, Sam (February 12, 1989). "Today's All-Star Game May Lack the Usual Magic: Without Johnson and Bird, NBA Showcase Just Won't Be the Same". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  21. "1989 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  22. "1989 NBA All-Star Game: West 143, East 134". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  23. Hafner, Dan (February 1, 1989). "NBA Roundup: Harper, Left Off All-Star Roster, Proves Worth in Cavalier Victory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  24. Hafner, Dan (February 16, 1989). "NBA Roundup: Cleveland Runs Through New York, 129-107". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  25. McManis, Sam (May 23, 1989). "Magic Is the MVP This Time: Jordan Finishes Second in Closest Voting in 8 Seasons". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  26. "1988–89 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  27. "Fitzsimmons Coach of Year". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 25, 1989. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  28. "Cotton Fitzsimmons, Who Led the Phoenix Suns to the..." United Press International. May 25, 1989. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  29. Coughlin, Dan (May 7, 1989). "Bulls 101, Cavaliers 100". United Press International. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  30. Brown, Clifton (May 8, 1989). "Jordan Shot Gives Series to the Bulls". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  31. Aldridge, David (May 8, 1989). "NBA PLAYOFFS: Jordan Takes Air Out of Cavaliers, and Bulls Advance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  32. "1989 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Bulls vs. Cavaliers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  33. Phoenix dealt Larry Nance and Mike Sanders, along with Detroit's first-round pick in 1988 to Cleveland in exchange for the Cavs' first- and second-round draft picks in 1988, and players Kevin Johnson, Mark West and Tyrone Corbin. http://www.nba.com/suns/history/00646999.html Archived 2008-02-10 at the Wayback Machine
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