NBA teams play almost every day, and though you might know everything about the players of today, or the past, you might not know all these facts about your favorite team. Today, we selected some interesting facts about one of the teams that has been a strong force in the NBA in recent years: the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs made their first Finals appearance ever in 2007, 36 years after they were founded.
They won the Championship once, in 2016, when they came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors.
In their inaugural season (1970-1971), the Cavs lost their first 15 games, and their first five seasons they had a winning percentage below .500.
The Cavs have three different mascots: Whammer (a polar bear), Moondog (a dog) and Sir C.C. (a Cavalier). Moondog and Sir C.C. are the official mascots, but Whammer occasionally still makes an appearance throughout the season.
The Cavs have had 6 #1 picks in the NBA: Austin Carr, Brad Daugherty, Anthony Bennett, Andrew Wiggins, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Besides that, the Cavaliers have retired 7 numbers: 7 (Bobby Smith), 11 (Zydrunas Ilgauskas), 22 (Larry Nance), 25 (Mark Price), 34 (Austin Carr), 42 (Nate Thurmond), and 43 (Brad Daugherty).
Though number 22 is retired, Larry Nance Jr. got the honor to wear his fathers’ number after he was traded to the Cavs this season.
The Cavs have two MVP awards in their history. Both were won by LeBron James, one in 2008 and one in 2010.
Furthermore, LeBron James holds several Cavs records, among which most points scored, most minutes played, most assists and most steals.
The Quicken Loans Arena is the third home of the Cavs and has been since 1994. Before that, they played in the Cleveland Arena (1970-1974) and Richfield Coliseum (1974-1994).
