1991–92 Cleveland Cavaliers season

The 1991–92 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 22nd season for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association.^[1] After missing the NBA playoffs the previous season, the Cavaliers received the eleventh overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft, and selected point guard Terrell Brandon from the University of Oregon.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team signed free agent John Battle.^[5][6]

After two straight seasons of injuries, and with the addition of Brandon and Battle, the Cavaliers struggled losing four of their first five games of the regular season, but later on posted an 11-game winning streak between December and January, and held a 31–14 record at the All-Star break.^[7] In March, the team re-signed former Cavaliers forward Mike Sanders; Sanders was previously released by the Indiana Pacers.^[8][9] The Cavaliers finished in second place in the Central Division with a 57–25 record, earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference, and returning to the playoffs after a one-year absence; the team's record was tied with their franchise-high record set in the 1988–89 season.^[10]

Brad Daugherty averaged 21.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, while Mark Price averaged 17.3 points, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and also led the Cavaliers with 101 three-point field goals, as both players were named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Larry Nance provided the team with 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Craig Ehlo contributed 12.3 points and 3.8 assists per game. Off the bench, sixth man Hot Rod Williams provided with 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, while Battle contributed 10.3 points per game, Brandon averaged 7.4 points and 3.9 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Steve Kerr provided with 6.6 points per game, second-year forward Henry James contributed 6.4 points per game, and second-year forward Danny Ferry averaged 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.^[11]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, Daugherty and Price were both selected for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team.^[12][13][14] Meanwhile, Ehlo participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout,^[15][16] and Brandon was selected to participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, but withdrew due to a sore knee injury.^[17][15] Price also finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Daugherty finished in eleventh place,^[18] and head coach Lenny Wilkens finished in fifth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[18]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1992 NBA playoffs, the Cavaliers faced off against the 6th–seeded New Jersey Nets, a team that featured Dražen Petrović, second-year star Derrick Coleman, and Chris Morris. The Cavaliers won the first two games over the Nets at home at the Coliseum at Richfield, before losing Game 3 on the road, 109–104 at the Brendan Byrne Arena. The Cavaliers won Game 4 over the Nets on the road, 98–89 to win the series in four games.^[19][20][21]

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics, who were led by the All-Star quartet of Larry Bird, Reggie Lewis, Robert Parish, and sixth man Kevin McHale. Despite the Celtics winning the Atlantic Division title, the Cavaliers had home-court advantage in the series, since they finished with a better regular-season record. After winning Game 1 over the Celtics at home, 101–76 at the Coliseum at Richfield, the Cavaliers lost the next two games as the Celtics took a 2–1 series lead.^[22][23] With the series tied at 3–3, the Cavaliers won Game 7 over the Celtics at the Coliseum at Richfield, 122–104 to win in a hard-fought seven-game series.^[24][25][26]

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavaliers then faced off against the top–seeded, and defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls, who won the Central Division title, and were led by the trio of All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. After losing Game 1 on the road, 103–89 at the Chicago Stadium, the Cavaliers managed to defeat the Bulls on the road in Game 2 by a 26-point margin, 107–81 to even the series.^[27][28][29] With the series tied at 2–2, the Cavaliers lost the next two games, including a Game 6 home loss to the Bulls at the Coliseum at Richfield, 99–94, thus losing the series in six games.^[30][31][32] The Bulls would go on to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in six games in the 1992 NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive NBA championship.^[33][34][35]

The Cavaliers finished ninth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 677,408 at the Coliseum at Richfield during the regular season.^[11][36] On December 17, 1991, the Cavaliers set an NBA record by winning with the second largest margin of victory of any game defeating the Miami Heat at home, 148–80 (68 points).^[37][38][39] Following the season, James was released to free agency.