2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers season

NBA professional basketball team season March 2026 August 2023 Cleveland Cavaliers 2009 yes 66 16 Central 1 1 Mike Brown Danny Ferry Dan Gilbert Quicken Loans Arena Eastern Conference Finals(lost to Magic 2–4) CLE Fox Sports Ohio WUAB WTAM The 2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 39th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They finished the regular season with 66 wins and 16 losses, the best record in the NBA, which easily surpassed the previous franchise best of 57–25 from the 1988–89 and 1991–92 seasons. LeBron James won his first MVP Award and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. The Cavaliers had the fourth best team offensive rating and the third best team defensive rating in the NBA.https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced/?sort=OFF_RATING&dir=-1&Season=2008-09&SeasonType=Regular%20Season Advanced NBA.com April 30, 2021 In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in the First Round in four games, swept the Atlanta Hawks in the Semifinals in four games, before losing to the Orlando Magic in the conference finals in six games, despite the Cavaliers being heavily favored to beat the Magic.https://www.sportsoddshistory.com/nba-playoffs-series/?y=2009&o=s&fv=&hv=&fd=&rd= 2009 NBA Playoffs Series Prices Sports Odds History May 30, 2021 The Magic would go on to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals in five games. Prior to their elimination by the Magic, many had expected the Cavs to appear in the Finals, which would've also been LeBron and Kobe Bryant's first head-to-head meeting in the NBA Finals. This was the last time that James lost in the conference finals until 2023 when the Lakers were swept by the eventual champion, the Denver Nuggets, in four games. Key dates June 26: The 2008 NBA draft took place in New York City. July 1: The [Free agency] period started. On October 7, the Cavaliers' pre-season began with an 84–104 loss to Toronto Raptors. On October 28, the Cavaliers' regular season started with a 90–99 loss at the Boston Celtics. On October 30, the Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Bobcats 96–79 for their first win in their home opener. On November 8, the Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 106–97 to improve their record to 5-2 and take over first place in the Central Division. On November 18, the Cavaliers beat the New Jersey Nets 106–82 for their then season-high eighth straight win and improved their record to a then season high seven games over .500 (9–2). On December 3, the Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks 118–82 to set a franchise record by starting the season with ten straight home wins. On December 9, the Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 114–94 to set an NBA record by winning nine straight games by 12 or more points. On December 12, the Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 88–72 for their season best 11th straight win (which tied a franchise record), to improve to a then season high seventeen games over .500, their best 23 game start in franchise history (20–3), and to improve their franchise record by starting the season with thirteen straight home wins. On December 28, the Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 93–86 to improve to a season high 22 games over .500, their best 30 game start in franchise history (26–4), and to improve their franchise record by starting the season with 16 straight home wins. On January 7, the Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Bobcats 111–81 for their best 34 game start in franchise history (28–6), to improve their franchise record by starting the season with 18 straight home wins, to take over first place in the Eastern Conference and to take a share of the best record in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. On January 9, the Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics 98–83 to improve to a season high 23 games over .500, their best 35 game start in franchise history (29–6), and to improve their franchise record by starting the season with 19 straight home wins. On January 23, the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors 106–105 to improve to a season high 25 games over .500, their best 41 game start in franchise history (33–8). On February 3, the Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 101–83 to get their franchise record 23rd straight home victory, and improved to 38–9 overall on the season. On February 8, the Cavaliers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 91–101, their first home loss of the year, dropping to 23–1 at home and 39–10 overall on the season. On February 10, the Cavaliers lost to the Indiana Pacers 95–96, marking their first consecutive losses of the season. On March 2, the Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 107–100, improving to 47-12 and marking the first time in franchise history the team was 35 games over .500. On March 4, the Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 91–73, becoming the first team in the league to clinch a playoff berth. On March 13, the Cavaliers beat the Sacramento Kings 126–123, clinching the Central Division title: their first since the 1975–76 season and their second in franchise history. On March 19, the Cavaliers tied an NBA record by committing just 2 turnovers in a 97–92 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. On March 24, the Cavaliers beat the New Jersey Nets 98–87, improving their record to 58–13 and setting a franchise record for wins in a season. On March 31, the Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 79–73, extending their winning streak to a new franchise record 13 wins in a row, setting a new franchise record and tying an NBA record for wins in any month by improving to 16–1 in March, and extending their franchise record for wins in a season, improving to 61–13. On April 10, the Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102–92, clinching the best record in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history. On April 13, the Cavaliers beat the Indiana Pacers 117–109, clinching the best record in the NBA and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, the first time ever the Cavaliers have done so. On April 15, the Cavaliers concluded their regular season with a 111–110 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in OT. They finished the season 66–16, going 39–2 at home and 27–14 on the road. Their home record was the second-best in NBA history. On April 26, the Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the playoffs by defeating the Detroit Pistons four games to none. On May 9, the Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 97–82 and became the first team in NBA history to win seven consecutive playoff games by a double-digit margin. On May 11, the Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 84–74, earning a spot in the NBA Eastern Conference finals. It was also the first time in franchise history they swept two consecutive playoff series. On May 30, the Cavs' season ended when they lost to the Orlando Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, 103–90, in Orlando. The Magic took Game 1 in Cleveland with a 1-point victory, lost Game 2 also by 1-point thanks to James' first career playoff buzzer, and went on to win the series 4–2 before going on to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers 4–1 in the NBA Finals. Eight of the last nine Eastern Conference No. 1 seeded teams have been beaten in the conference finals. Offseason On June 26, 2008, the Cavaliers acquired the draft rights to forward Darnell Jackson from the Miami Heat in exchange for the lower of the Cavaliers two second-round picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. In addition, Cleveland purchased the rights to center Sasha Kaun from the Seattle SuperSonics. On August 4, 2008, the Cavaliers signed Tarence Kinsey to a one-year contract. On August 13, 2008, the Cavaliers traded Damon Jones and Joe Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Maurice Williams as part of a three-team, a six-player deal among the Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City. On September 5, 2008, the Cavaliers signed Lorenzen Wright to a one-year contract. Second year swingman Gabe Skinner waived to make room for the acquisition. Draft picks 2008 NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 19 J. J. Hickson PF USA NC State Roster Cleveland Cavaliers 2008–09 1 Daniel Gibson PG 6 2 200 1986-02-27 Texas 21 J. J. Hickson C 6 9 242 1988-09-04 North Carolina State 11 Žydrūnas Ilgauskas C 7 3 260 1975-06-05 Lithuania 00 Darnell Jackson PF 6 9 253 1985-11-07 Kansas 23 LeBron James SF 6 8 245 1984-12-30 St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (OH) 8 Tarence Kinsey SG 6 6 189 1984-03-21 South Carolina 3 Sasha Pavlović Aleksandar Pavlović (basketball) SF 6 7 235 1983-11-15 Serbia 32 Joe Smith basketball C 6 10 225 1975-07-26 Maryland 20 Eric Snow PG 6 3 190 1973-04-24 Michigan State 10 Wally Szczerbiak SF 6 7 240 1977-03-05 Miami (Ohio) 17 Anderson Varejão PF 6 11 260 1982-09-28 Brazil 4 Ben Wallace basketball FC 6 9 240 1974-09-10 Virginia Union 13 Delonte West SG 6 3 180 1983-07-26 St. Joseph's 31 Jawad Williams SF 6 9 218 1983-02-19 North Carolina 2 Mo Williams PG 6 1 190 1982-12-19 Alabama 55 Lorenzen Wright C 6 11 255 1975-11-04 Memphis Mike Brown Hank Egan Melvin Hunt Chris Jent Michael Malone https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2009.html April 9, 2009 Regular season Standings CLE CLE Game log Cleveland Cavaliers 2009 Total: 66–16 (home: 39–2; road: 27–14) Cleveland Cavaliers October yes 1 0 0 1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | October 28 | @ Boston | 20081028 CLEBOS 85 90 | LeBron James (22) | Anderson Varejão (9) | LeBron James (6) | TD Banknorth Garden18,624 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | October 30 | Charlotte | 20081030 CHACLE 96 79 | Daniel Gibson (25) | Ben Wallace (10) | LeBron James (9) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 1-1 Cleveland Cavaliers November 8 0 5 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | November 1 | @ New Orleans | 20081101 CLENOH 92 104 | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (18) | Ben Wallace (8) | LeBron James (13) | New Orleans Arena18,150 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | November 3 | @ Dallas | 20081103 CLEDAL 100 81 | LeBron James (29) | Ben Wallace (13) | Maurice Williams (6) | American Airlines Center19,923 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | November 5 | Chicago | 20081105 CHICLE 107 93 | LeBron James (41) | Ben Wallace (14) | LeBron James (6) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | November 7 | Indiana | 20081107 INDCLE 111 107 | LeBron James (27) | LeBron James (9) | LeBron James (8) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 4–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | November 8 | @ Chicago | 20081108 CLECHI 106 97 | LeBron James (41) | LeBron James (13) | Maurice Williams (7) | United Center21,965 | 5–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 8 | November 11 | Milwaukee | 20081111 MILCLE 99 93 | LeBron James (41) | Varejão, Ilgauskas (10) | LeBron James (6) | Quicken Loans Arena19,842 | 6–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 9 | November 13 | Denver | 20081113 DENCLE 110 99 | Maurice Williams (24) | James, Varejão (8) | LeBron James (11) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 7–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 10 | November 15 | Utah | 20081115 UTACLE 105 93 | LeBron James (38) | Ben Wallace (10) | LeBron James (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 8–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 11 | November 18 | @ New Jersey | 20081118 CLENJN 106 82 | LeBron James (31) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (9) | Maurice Williams (6) | Izod Center16,911 | 9–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 12 | November 19 | @ Detroit | 20081119 CLEDET 89 96 | Williams, James (25) | Anderson Varejão (11) | LeBron James (6) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 9–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 13 | November 22 | Atlanta | 20081119 ATLCLE 110 96 | LeBron James (24) | Ben Wallace (8) | LeBron James (8) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 10–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 14 | November 25 | @ New York | 20081125 CLENYK 119 101 | LeBron James (26) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (10) | Daniel Gibson (7) | Madison Square Garden19,763 | 11–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 15 | November 26 | Oklahoma City | 20081126 OKCCLE 117 82 | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (17) | Ilgauskas, Varejão (7) | Delonte West (10) | Quicken Loans Arena19,753 | 12–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 16 | November 28 | Golden State | 20081128 GSWCLE 112 97 | LeBron James (23) | Szczerbiak, Wallace (9) | LeBron James (8) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 13–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 17 | November 29 | @ Milwaukee | 20081129 CLEMIL 97 85 | LeBron James (32) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (17) | James, West (5) | Bradley Center16,237 | 14–3 Cleveland Cavaliers December 7 0 5 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 18 | December 3 | New York | 20081203 NYKCLE 118 82 | LeBron James (21) | Ilgauskas, Varejão (10) | LeBron James (6) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 15–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 19 | December 5 | Indiana | 20081205 INDCLE 97 73 | Williams, Varejão, Ilgauskas (17) | Ilgauskas, James (8) | LeBron James (11) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 16–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 20 | December 6 | @ Charlotte | 20081206 CLECHA 94 74 | LeBron James (25) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (11) | Daniel Gibson (5) | Time Warner Cable Arena19,133 | 17–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 21 | December 9 | Toronto | 20081209 TORCLE 114 94 | LeBron James (31) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (6) | Maurice Williams (9) | Quicken Loans Arena20,049 | 18–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 22 | December 10 | @ Philadelphia | 20081210 CLEPHI 101 93 | LeBron James (29) | Ben Wallace (10) | LeBron James (5) | Wachovia Center15,550 | 19–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 23 | December 12 | Philadelphia | 20081212 PHICLE 88 72 | LeBron James (28) | Darnell Jackson (8) | LeBron James (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 20–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 24 | December 13 | @ Atlanta | 20081212 CLEATL 92 97 | LeBron James (33) | Anderson Varejão (8) | LeBron James (9) | Philips Arena19,200 | 20–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 25 | December 17 | @ Minnesota | 20081217 CLEMIN 93 70 | LeBron James (32) | Anderson Varejão (11) | Delonte West (5) | Target Center14,899 | 21–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 26 | December 19 | @ Denver | 20081219 CLEDEN 105 88 | LeBron James (33) | LeBron James (10) | LeBron James (8) | Pepsi Center19,155 | 22–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 27 | December 21 | @ Oklahoma City | 20081221 CLEOKC 102 91 | LeBron James (31) | Wallace, Varejão (6) | LeBron James (7) | Ford Center19,136 | 23–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 28 | December 23 | Houston | 20081223 HOUCLE 99 90 | LeBron James (27) | LeBron James (9) | LeBron James (5) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 24–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 29 | December 25 | Washington | 20081225 WASCLE 93 89 | Maurice Williams (24) | Anderson Varejão (13) | Delonte West (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 25–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 30 | December 28 | Miami | 20081228 MIACLE 93 86 | LeBron James (33) | Ben Wallace (14) | LeBron James (9) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 26–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 31 | December 30 | @ Miami | 20081230 CLEMIA 95 104 | LeBron James (38) | Anderson Varejão (10) | LeBron James (7) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 26–5 Cleveland Cavaliers January 6 0 4 4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 32 | January 2 | Chicago | 20090102 CHICLE 117 92 | Anderson Varejão (26) | LeBron James (10) | LeBron James (11) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 27–5 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 33 | January 4 | @ Washington | 20090104 CLEWAS 77 80 | LeBron James (30) | Anderson Varejão (10) | LeBron James (10) | Verizon Center20,173 | 27–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 34 | January 7 | Charlotte | 20090107 CHACLE 111 81 | LeBron James (21) | Ben Wallace (9) | Delonte West (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 28–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 35 | January 9 | Boston | 20090109 BOSCLE 98 83 | LeBron James (38) | Anderson Varejão (9) | LeBron James (6) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 29–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 36 | January 13 | @ Memphis | 20090113 CLEMEM 102 87 | LeBron James (30) | LeBron James (11) | LeBron James (10) | FedExForum15,121 | 30–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 37 | January 15 | @ Chicago | 20090115 CLECHI 93 102 1 | LeBron James (28) | LeBron James (14) | LeBron James (7) | United Center21,297 | 30–7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 38 | January 16 | New Orleans | 20090116 NOHCLE 92 78 | LeBron James (29) | LeBron James (14) | LeBron James (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 31–7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 39 | January 19 | @ L.A. Lakers | 20090119 CLELAL 88 105 | LeBron James (23) | Anderson Varejão (12) | Maurice Williams (5) | Staples Center18,997 | 31–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 40 | January 21 | @ Portland | 20090121 CLEPOR 104 98 | LeBron James (34) | Wally Szczerbiak (10) | LeBron James (14) | Rose Garden20,632 | 32–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 41 | January 23 | @ Golden State | 20090123 CLEGSW 106 105 | LeBron James (32) | James, Pavlović, Varejão (9) | LeBron James (8) | Oracle Arena19,596 | 33–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 42 | January 24 | @ Utah | 20090124 CLEUTA 102 97 | LeBron James (33) | LeBron James (14) | LeBron James (9) | EnergySolutions Arena19,911 | 34–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 43 | January 27 | Sacramento | 20090127 SACCLE 117 110 | Maurice Williams (43) | LeBron James (15) | Maurice Williams, LeBron James (11) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 35–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 44 | January 29 | @ Orlando | 20090129 CLEORL 88 99 | LeBron James (23) | James, Varejão (8) | LeBron James (8) | Amway Arena17,461 | 35–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 45 | January 30 | L.A. Clippers | 20090130 LACCLE 112 95 | LeBron James (25) | Ilgauskas, Wallace (11) | James, Williams (6) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 36–9 Cleveland Cavaliers February 4 1 5 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 46 | February 1 | @ Detroit | 20090201 CLEDET 90 80 | LeBron James (33) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (8) | LeBron James (8) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 37–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 47 | February 3 | Toronto | 20090203 TORCLE 101 83 | LeBron James (33) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (8) | Maurice Williams (9) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 38–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 48 | February 4 | @ New York | 20090204 CLENYK 107 102 | LeBron James (52) | Wally Szczerbiak (13) | LeBron James (11) | Madison Square Garden19,763 | 39–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 49 | February 8 | L.A. Lakers | 20090208 LALCLE 91 101 | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (22) | Ilgauskas, Varejão (9) | LeBron James (12) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 39–10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 50 | February 10 | @ Indiana | 20090210 CLEIND 95 96 | LeBron James (47) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (11) | LeBron James (4) | Conseco Fieldhouse18,165 | 39–11 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 51 | February 11 | Phoenix | 20090211 PHXCLE 109 92 | Maurice Williams (44) | Ben Wallace (11) | Maurice Williams (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 40–11 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Break |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 52 | February 18 | @ Toronto | 20090218 CLETOR 93 76 | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (22) | Anderson Varejão (14) | LeBron James (9) | Air Canada Centre19,800 | 41–11 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 53 | February 20 | @ Milwaukee | 20090220 CLEMIL 111 103 | LeBron James (55) | Anderson Varejão (7) | LeBron James (9) | Bradley Center18,076 | 42–11 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 54 | February 22 | Detroit | 20090222 DETCLE 99 78 | Delonte West (25) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (8) | LeBron James (9) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 43–11 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 55 | February 24 | Memphis | 20090224 MEMCLE 94 79 | Daniel Gibson (19) | J. J. Hickson (9) | LeBron James (8) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 44–11 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 56 | February 26 | @ Houston | 20090226 CLEHOU 74 93 | James, Williams (21) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (13) | Maurice Williams (4) | Toyota Center18,399 | 44–12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 57 | February 27 | @ San Antonio | 20090227 CLESAS 97 86 | LeBron James (30) | LeBron James (14) | Delonte West (5) | AT&T Center18,797 | 45–12 Cleveland Cavaliers March 10 0 6 1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 58 | March 1 | @ Atlanta | 20090227 CLEATL 88 87 | LeBron James (26) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (11) | LeBron James (11) | Philips Arena19,639 | 46–12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 59 | March 2 | @ Miami | 20090302 CLEMIA 107 100 | LeBron James (42) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (15) | Maurice Williams (7) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 47–12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 60 | March 4 | Milwaukee | 20090304 MILCLE 91 73 | LeBron James (23) | Anderson Varejão (9) | James, West (4) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 48–12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 61 | March 6 | @ Boston | 20090306 CLEBOS 94 105 | Maurice Williams (26) | James, West (6) | Delonte West (8) | TD Banknorth Garden18,624 | 48–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 62 | March 7 | Miami | 20090307 MIACLE 99 89 | Maurice Williams (29) | LeBron James (10) | LeBron James (12) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 49–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 63 | March 10 | @ L.A. Clippers | 20090310 CLELAC 87 83 | LeBron James (32) | LeBron James (13) | LeBron James (11) | Staples Center19,060 | 50–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 64 | March 12 | @ Phoenix | 20090312 CLEPHX 119 111 | LeBron James (34) | LeBron James (10) | LeBron James (13) | US Airways Center18,422 | 51–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 65 | March 13 | @ Sacramento | 20090313 CLESAC 126 123 1 | LeBron James (51) | Anderson Varejão (12) | LeBron James (9) | ARCO Arena16,317 | 52–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 66 | March 15 | New York | 20090315 NYKCLE 98 93 | Maurice Williams (23) | Anderson Varejão (9) | LeBron James (10) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 53–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 67 | March 17 | Orlando | 20090317 ORLCLE 97 93 | LeBron James (43) | LeBron James (12) | LeBron James (8) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 54–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 68 | March 19 | Portland | 20090319 PORCLE 97 92 1 | LeBron James (26) | LeBron James (11) | LeBron James (10) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 55–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 69 | March 21 | Atlanta | 20090319 ATLCLE 102 96 | Maurice Willams (24) | Jackson, Varejão (8) | Maurice Williams (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 56–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 70 | March 22 | @ New Jersey | 20090322 CLENJN 96 88 | LeBron James (30) | James, Varejão (11) | LeBron James (8) | Izod Center18,348 | 57–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 71 | March 25 | New Jersey | 20090325 NJNCLE 98 87 | LeBron James (22) | Anderson Varejão (11) | LeBron James (11) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 58–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 72 | March 27 | Minnesota | 20090327 MINCLE 107 85 | LeBron James (25) | LeBron James (12) | LeBron James (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 59–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 73 | March 29 | Dallas | 20090329 DALCLE 102 74 | LeBron James (24) | Joe Smith (13) | LeBron James (12) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 60–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 74 | March 31 | Detroit | 20090331 DETCLE 79 73 | LeBron James (25) | LeBron James (12) | Delonte West (6) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 61–13 Cleveland Cavaliers April 3 1 2 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 75 | April 2 | @ Washington | 20090402 CLEWAS 101 109 | LeBron James (31) | LeBron James (9) | Delonte West (7) | Verizon Center20,173 | 61–14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 76 | April 3 | @ Orlando | 20090403 CLEORL 87 116 | LeBron James (26) | LeBron James (9) | LeBron James (5) | Amway Arena17,461 | 61–15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 77 | April 5 | San Antonio | 20090405 SASCLE 101 81 | LeBron James (38) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (10) | LeBron James (6) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 62–15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 78 | April 8 | Washington | 20090408 WASCLE 98 86 | LeBron James (21) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (13) | LeBron James (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 63–15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 79 | April 10 | @ Philadelphia | 20090410 CLEPHI 102 92 | LeBron James (27) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (9) | LeBron James (10) | Wachovia Center20,484 | 64–15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 80 | April 12 | Boston | 20090412 BOSCLE 107 76 | LeBron James (29) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (10) | LeBron James (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 65–15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 81 | April 13 | @ Indiana | 20090413 CLEIND 117 109 | LeBron James (37) | Anderson Varejão (11) | Maurice Williams (8) | Conseco Fieldhouse18,165 | 66–15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 82 | April 15 | Philadelphia | 20090415 PHICLE 110 111 1 | Daniel Gibson (28) | Jackson, Wally Szczerbiak (8) | Wally Szczerbiak (8) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 66–16 CLE 2009 Playoffs Cleveland Cavaliers yes 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers First Round yes yes no 2 0 2 0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 18 | Detroit | W 102–84 | LeBron James (38) | Zydrunas Ilgauskas (10) | LeBron James (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 21 | Detroit | W 94–82 | LeBron James (29) | LeBron James (13) | Mo Williams (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 24 | @ Detroit | W 79–68 | LeBron James (25) | LeBron James (11) | LeBron James (9) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 3–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | April 26 | @ Detroit | W 99–78 | LeBron James (36) | LeBron James (13) | LeBron James (8) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 4–0 Cleveland Cavaliers Conference Semifinals yes no 2 0 2 0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | May 5 | Atlanta | W 99–72 | LeBron James (34) | LeBron James (10) | Delonte West (9) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | May 7 | Atlanta | W 105–85 | LeBron James (27) | Anderson Varejão (8) | James, Williams (5) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 9 | @ Atlanta | W 97–82 | LeBron James (47) | LeBron James (12) | LeBron James (8) | Philips Arena20,143 | 3–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 11 | @ Atlanta | W 84–74 | LeBron James (27) | Anderson Varejão (11) | LeBron James (8) | Philips Arena19,241 | 4–0 Cleveland Cavaliers Conference Finals yes no 2 1 0 3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | May 20 | Orlando | L 106–107 | LeBron James (49) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (10) | LeBron James (8) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | May 22 | Orlando | W 96–95 | LeBron James (35) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (15) | James, Williams (5) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | May 24 | @ Orlando | L 89–99 | LeBron James (41) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (9) | LeBron James (9) | Amway Arena17,461 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | May 26 | @ Orlando | L 114–116 (OT) | LeBron James (44) | LeBron James (12) | James, West (7) | Amway Arena17,461 | 1–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | May 28 | Orlando | W 112–102 | LeBron James (37) | LeBron James (14) | LeBron James (12) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 2–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | May 30 | @ Orlando | L 90–103 | LeBron James (25) | Anderson Varejão (8) | LeBron James (7) | Amway Arena17,461 | 2–4 CLE yes 2009 Player statistics Legend CLE 2009 Season PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG Gibson, Daniel Daniel Gibson 75 0 23.9 .391 .382 .767 2.1 1.8 .6 .2 7.8 Hickson, J.J. J.J. Hickson 62 0 11.4 .515 .000 .672 2.7 .1 .2 .5 4.0 Ilgauskas, Zydrunas Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 65 65 24.2 .472 .385 .799 7.5 1.0 .4 1.3 12.9 Jackson, Darnell Darnell Jackson 51 2 8.4 .430 .000 .686 1.7 .2 .2 .1 1.9 James, LeBron LeBron James818137.7 .489 .344 .780 7.67.21.7 1.1 28.4 Kinsey, Tarence Tarence Kinsey 50 3 5.5 .449 .389 .868 .8 .2 .2 .0 1.0 Pavlovic, Sasha Sasha Pavlovic 66 12 12.8 .422 .410 .463 1.9 1.1 .3 .2 4.6 Smith, Joe Joe Smith 21 0 19.6 .496 .333 .750 4.8 .8 .3 .7 6.5 Szczerbiak, Wally Wally Szczerbiak 74 5 18.6 .450 .411 .849 3.1 1.1 .4 .1 7.0 Varejao, Anderson Anderson Varejão81 42 28.5 .536 .000 .616 7.2 1.0 .9 .8 8.6 Wallace, Ben Ben Wallace 56 53 23.5 .445 .000 .422 6.5 .8 .9 1.3 2.9 West, Delonte Delonte West 64 64 33.6 .457 .399 .833 3.2 3.5 1.5 .2 11.7 Williams, Jawad Jawad Williams 10 0 2.0 .417 .333 .000 .2 .0 .1 .0 1.2 Williams, Mo Mo Williams8181 35.0 .467 .436 .912 3.4 4.1 .9 .1 17.8 Wright, Lorenzen Lorenzen Wright 18 2 6.9 .370 .000 .375 1.4 .2 .2 .3 1.3 Playoffs PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPGGibson, Daniel Daniel Gibson14 0 12.3 .325 .357 1.000 .5 .4 .1 .2 3.4Ilgauskas, Zydrunas Žydrūnas Ilgauskas1414 29.1 .449 .154 .636 7.8 1.2 .4 .9 10.5James, LeBron LeBron James1414 41.4 .510 .333 .749 9.17.31.6 .9 35.3Kinsey, Tarence Tarence Kinsey 9 0 1.2 .333 . 1.000 .2 .0 .1 .0 .4Pavlovic, Sasha Sasha Pavlovic 11 0 8.3 .500 .250 .463 1.4 .4 .4 .0 2.1Smith, Joe Joe Smith 13 0 16.8 .460 .600 .793 3.7 .2 .5 .5 5.5Szczerbiak, Wally Wally Szczerbiak 12 0 12.8 .444 .167 .818 2.3 .6 .2 .1 3.6Varejao, Anderson Anderson Varejão1414 30.0 .500 . .682 6.4 .6 1.3 1.1 6.9Wallace, Ben Ben Wallace14 0 12.6 .615 . .000 2.7 .3 .3 .3 1.1West, Delonte Delonte West141442.2 .465 .333 .833 3.5 4.1 1.4 .5 13.8Williams, Mo Mo Williams1414 38.6 .408 .372 .767 3.2 4.1 .7 .1 16.3 Awards and records Awards LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 3 through November 9.LeBron James Named NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, NBA.com, November 10, 2008. LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 10 through November 16.LeBron James Named NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, NBA.com, November 17, 2008. LeBron James was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November 2008.Players of the Month: LeBron James, Chris Paul https://web.archive.org/web/20120919204957/http://www.nba.com/2008/news/12/01/pom.dev/index.html?rss=true 2012-09-19 , NBA.com, December 1, 2008. LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from December 22 through December 28.LeBron James Named NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, NBA.com, December 29, 2008. Mike Brown was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for December 2008.Mike Brown Named NBA's Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, NBA.com, January 2, 2009. Mike Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 2008–2009 season.http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/04/signs_point_to_cavaliers_coach.html Cleveland Plain Dealer Windhorst Brian 2009-04-20 2009-04-20 Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown named NBA Coach of the Year https://archive.today/20090421143228/http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/04/signs_point_to_cavaliers_coach.html 21 April 2009 live LeBron James was named the NBA Most Valuable Player for the 2008–2009 NBA regular season.http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/05/lebron_james_to_be_named_nba_m.html LeBron James named NBA Most Valuable Player Windhorst Brian Cleveland Plain Dealer 2009-05-04 2009-05-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20090620035025/http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/05/lebron_james_to_be_named_nba_m.html 2009-06-20 live Milestones On November 18, LeBron James became the youngest player to reach 11,000 career points and the only player to score 11,000 points in a Cavaliers uniform; he also passed Jim Brewer for 6th in defensive rebounds in Cavs history. On December 9, LeBron James passed Mark Price to become the Cavaliers' all-time steals leader. On the same night, Zydrunas Ilgauskas passed Brad Daugherty to become the Cavaliers' all-time rebounds leader. On January 4, LeBron James passed Brad Daugherty to become the Cavaliers' all-time free throws attempted leader. On the same night he also passed Wesley Person for 2nd all time in three-point field goals made. On January 23, LeBron James passed Brad Daugherty to become the Cavaliers' all-time free throws made leader. On January 30, Mike Brown became just the second Cleveland coach to coach the Eastern Conference all-star team. On February 3, LeBron James became the youngest player to reach 12,000 career points. On March 21, Zydrunas Ilgauskas became the fourth Cavalier to reach 10,000 career points. On March 22, Zydrunas Ilgauskas passed John "Hot Rod" Williams to become the Cavaliers' all-time blocks leader. On March 25, LeBron James became only the second player in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in at least 4 seasons. On March 31, Zydrunas Ilgauskas became only the third player to play at least 700 games as a Cavalier. Transactions Trades August 13, 2008 To Milwaukee Bucks----Damon Jones----To Oklahoma City Thunder----Joe Smith To Cleveland Cavaliers----Mo Williams http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=445339 the Sporting News Mo Williams headlines 6-player, 3-team trade 2008-08-13 2009-05-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20081006211114/http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=445339 2008-10-06 dead Free agents March 5, 2009: Acquired Joe Smith from Oklahoma City Thunder References 30em External links Category:2008 in sports in Ohio Category:2009 in sports in Ohio Cleveland Category:Cleveland Cavaliers seasons