1975–76 Cleveland Cavaliers season

NBA professional basketball team season March 2026 August 2023 Cleveland Cavaliers 1976 yes 49 33 Central 1 2 Bill Fitch Coliseum at Richfield East Conference Finals(eliminated 2–4) WEWS-TV WWWE CLE The 1975–76 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the sixth season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This season marked their first winning record, their first division title, their first playoff appearance and their first conference finals in history. The season is referred to as the "Miracle at Richfield" season for this reason, and helped propel local interest in the Cavaliers as almost every playoff game was sold out and regular game attendance would rise in the coming seasons. Roster Cleveland Cavaliers 1975–76 #77222F #FFA402 #FFA402 #77222F 52 Jim Brewer basketball PF 6 9 210 Minnesota 1951-12-03 34 Austin Carr SG 6 4 200 Notre Dame 1948-03-10 22 Jim Chones F/C 6 11 220 Marquette 1949-11-30 35 Jim Cleamons PG 6 3 185 Ohio State 1949-09-13 23 Rowland Garrett SF 6 6 210 Florida State 1950-07-16 24 John Lambert basketball PF 6 10 225 University of Southern California 1953-01-14 20 Campy Russell SF 6 8 215 Michigan 1952-01-12 7 Bingo Smith G/F 6 5 195 Tulsa 1946-02-26 10 Dick Snyder G/F 6 5 207 Davidson College 1944-02-01 42 Nate Thurmond C 6 11 225 Bowling Green 1941-07-25 14 Foots Walker PG 6 0 184 West Georgia 1951-05-21 44 Luke Witte C 7 0 230 Ohio State 1950-10-19 Bill Fitch Jimmy Rodgers https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/1976.html Season standings CLE CLE Game log Cleveland Cavaliers 1976 #B22222 white Total: 49–33 (Home: 29–12; Road: 20–21) Cleveland Cavaliers October yes #FFCC33 navy 1 1 0 1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 1 || October 23, 1975 || Golden State |-style="background:#fcc;" | 2 || October 25, 1975 || @ New York |-style="background:#cfc;" | 3 || October 30, 1975 || Chicago Cleveland Cavaliers November #FFCC33 navy 1 5 5 4 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 4 || November 1, 1975 || New Orleans |-style="background:#fcc;" | 5 || November 4, 1975 || @ Washington |-style="background:#cfc;" | 6 || November 6, 19758:05 PM EST || @ Atlanta | W 113–108 | Snyder (25) | | | The Omni3,761 | 2–4 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 7 || November 7, 1975 || @ New Orleans |-style="background:#fcc;" | 8 || November 8, 1975 || @ Houston |-style="background:#fcc;" | 9 || November 11, 1975 || @ Golden State |-style="background:#fcc;" | 10 || November 14, 1975 || @ Seattle |-style="background:#cfc;" | 11 || November 15, 1975 || @ Portland |-style="background:#fcc;" | 12 || November 18, 1975 || Houston |-style="background:#fcc;" | 13 || November 20, 1975 || Buffalo |-style="background:#cfc;" | 14 || November 22, 1975 || @ New York |-style="background:#fcc;" | 15 || November 23, 1975 || Boston |-style="background:#cfc;" | 16 || November 25, 1975 || @ Chicago |-style="background:#fcc;" | 17 || November 27, 1975 || Kansas City |-style="background:#cfc;" | 18 || November 29, 1975 || Seattle Cleveland Cavaliers December #FFCC33 navy 6 1 5 3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 19 || December 2, 1975 || Portland |-style="background:#fcc;" | 20 || December 4, 1975 || @ Kansas City |-style="background:#fcc;" | 21 || December 5, 1975 || @ Buffalo |-style="background:#fcc;" | 22 || December 9, 1975 || @ Philadelphia |-style="background:#cfc;" | 23 || December 11, 1975 || New York |-style="background:#cfc;" | 24 || December 12, 1975 || @ Milwaukee |-style="background:#cfc;" | 25 || December 13, 1975 || New Orleans |-style="background:#cfc;" | 26 || December 16, 1975 || @ Los Angeles |-style="background:#cfc;" | 27 || December 17, 1975 || @ Seattle |-style="background:#cfc;" | 28 || December 19, 1975 || @ Phoenix |-style="background:#cfc;" | 29 || December 21, 1975 || Los Angeles |-style="background:#fcc;" | 30 || December 26, 19758:00 PM EST || Atlanta | L 97–98 | Russell,Walker (17) | | | Coliseum at Richfield19,832 | 15–15 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 31 || December 27, 1975 || @ Washington |-style="background:#cfc;" | 32 || December 28, 1975 || Buffalo |-style="background:#cfc;" | 33 || December 30, 1975 || Kansas City Cleveland Cavaliers January #FFCC33 navy 7 2 2 4 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 34 || January 2, 1976 || @ Philadelphia |-style="background:#fcc;" | 35 || January 3, 1976 || Detroit |-style="background:#fcc;" | 36 || January 7, 1976 || @ Detroit |-style="background:#cfc;" | 37 || January 8, 1976 || Philadelphia |-style="background:#cfc;" | 38 || January 10, 19768:05 PM EST || @ Atlanta | W 106–100 | Russell (18) | | | The Omni5,766 | 20–18 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 39 || January 11, 1976 || Washington |-style="background:#fcc;" | 40 || January 14, 1976 || @ Washington |-style="background:#fcc;" | 41 || January 15, 19768:00 PM EST || Atlanta | L 91–98 | Smith (30) | | | Coliseum at Richfield8,364 | 21–20 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 42 || January 17, 1976 || Phoenix |-style="background:#cfc;" | 43 || January 20, 1976 || Boston |-style="background:#cfc;" | 44 || January 22, 1976 || Seattle |-style="background:#cfc;" | 45 || January 24, 1976 || Milwaukee |-style="background:#cfc;" | 46 || January 27, 1976 || Detroit |-style="background:#fcc;" | 47 || January 28, 1976 || @ Houston |-style="background:#cfc;" | 48 || January 30, 1976 || @ Chicago Cleveland Cavaliers February #FFCC33 navy 5 0 4 2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 49 || February 1, 1976 || @ New Orleans |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Break |-style="background:#cfc;" | 50 || February 6, 1976 || @ Philadelphia |-style="background:#cfc;" | 51 || February 8, 1976 || Washington |-style="background:#cfc;" | 52 || February 12, 1976 || Chicago |-style="background:#cfc;" | 53 || February 13, 1976 || @ Milwaukee |-style="background:#cfc;" | 54 || February 14, 1976 || @ Buffalo |-style="background:#cfc;" | 55 || February 17, 19768:00 PM EST || Atlanta | W 112–92 | Russell (23) | | | Coliseum at Richfield10,417 | 33–22 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 56 || February 19, 1976 || Portland |-style="background:#cfc;" | 57 || February 22, 1976 || Houston |-style="background:#fcc;" | 58 || February 23, 1976 || @ Houston |-style="background:#cfc;" | 59 || February 25, 1976 || @ Detroit |-style="background:#fcc;" | 60 || February 29, 1976 || @ Los Angeles Cleveland Cavaliers March #FFCC33 navy 6 2 3 5 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 61 || March 3, 1976 || @ Phoenix |-style="background:#cfc;" | 62 || March 5, 1976 || @ Portland |-style="background:#fcc;" | 63 || March 6, 1976 || @ Golden State |-style="background:#cfc;" | 64 || March 11, 1976 || Golden State |-style="background:#cfc;" | 65 || March 13, 1976 || Phoenix |-style="background:#fcc;" | 66 || March 16, 1976 || Los Angeles |-style="background:#cfc;" | 67 || March 18, 1976 || Philadelphia |-style="background:#fcc;" | 68 || March 19, 1976 || @ New Orleans |-style="background:#cfc;" | 69 || March 20, 19768:05 PM EST || @ Atlanta | W 113–108 | Chones,Cleamons (20) | | | The Omni3,761 | 41–28 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 70 || March 21, 1976 || Washington |-style="background:#fcc;" | 71 || March 25, 1976 || Buffalo |-style="background:#fcc;" | 72 || March 26, 1976 || @ Boston |-style="background:#cfc;" | 73 || March 27, 1976 || Milwaukee |-style="background:#cfc;" | 74 || March 30, 1976 || Houston |-style="background:#cfc;" | 75 || March 31, 1976 || @ New Orleans Cleveland Cavaliers April #FFCC33 navy 3 1 1 2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 76 || April 1, 1976 || Boston |-style="background:#fcc;" | 77 || April 3, 1976 || @ Kansas City |-style="background:#cfc;" | 78 || April 4, 19763:00 PM EST || Atlanta | W 120–92 | Carr (27) | | | Coliseum at Richfield8,439 | 46–32 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 79 || April 6, 1976 || @ Boston |-style="background:#cfc;" | 80 || April 8, 1976 || New Orleans |-style="background:#cfc;" | 81 || April 10, 1976 || New York |-style="background:#fcc;" | 82 || April 11, 1976 || @ New York CLE 1976 Playoffs Cleveland Cavaliers yes 1976 #77222F #FFA402 Cleveland Cavaliers Conference Semifinals yes yes #FFA402 #77222F no 3 1 1 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | April 13 | Washington | L 95–100 | Jim Chones (23) | Campy Russell (11) | Jim Cleamons (8) | Richfield Coliseum19,974 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 15 | @ Washington | W 80–79 | Bingo Smith (17) | Nate Thurmond (10) | Bingo Smith (4) | Capital Centre17,988 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 17 | Washington | W 88–76 | Smith, Carr (17) | Jim Brewer (12) | Jim Brewer (6) | Richfield Coliseum21,061 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | April 21 | @ Washington | L 98–109 | Campy Russell (22) | Jim Brewer (10) | Foots Walker (6) | Capital Centre17,542 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | April 22 | Washington | W 92–91 | Dick Snyder (26) | Jim Brewer (12) | Cleamons, Snyder (4) | Richfield Coliseum21,312 | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | April 25 | @ Washington | L 98–102 (OT) | Austin Carr (27) | Jim Brewer (12) | Cleamons, Carr (5) | Capital Centre19,035 | 3–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | April 29 | Washington | W 87–85 | Dick Snyder (23) | Jim Brewer (16) | Jim Cleamons (6) | Richfield Coliseum21,564 | 4–3 |- Cleveland Cavaliers Conference Finals yes #FFA402 #77222F no 2 1 0 3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | May 5 | @ Boston | L 99–111 | Snyder, Russell (21) | Nate Thurmond (16) | Jim Cleamons (6) | Boston Garden14,264 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | May 9 | @ Boston | L 89–94 | Snyder, Smith (16) | Jim Brewer (9) | Foots Walker (6) | Boston Garden12,098 | 0–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 11 | Boston | W 83–78 | Jim Cleamons (18) | Jim Brewer (15) | Nate Thurmond (6) | Richfield Coliseum21,564 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 14 | Boston | W 106–87 | Bingo Smith (27) | Jim Brewer (11) | Jim Cleamons (8) | Richfield Coliseum21,564 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 16 | @ Boston | L 94–99 | Jim Cleamons (18) | Nate Thurmond (10) | Cleamons, Smith (4) | Boston Garden12,951 | 2–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | May 18 | Boston | L 87–94 | Austin Carr (26) | Nate Thurmond (14) | Thurmond, Cleamons (5) | Richfield Coliseum21,564 | 2–4 CLE yes 1976 Games 5 and 7 in the conference semifinal were both won by the Cavaliers on last-second shots. Jim Cleamons hit a layup as time expired in Game 5 and Dick Snyder hit a shot with four seconds left to win Game 7. Awards and records Bill Fitch, NBA Coach of the Year Jim Cleamons, NBA All-Defensive Second Team Jim Brewer, NBA All-Defensive Second Team References Category:Cleveland Cavaliers seasons Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland