1994–95 Cleveland Cavaliers season

The 1994–95 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 25th season for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association.

Season summary

Off-season This was the Cavaliers' first season in which they played their home games at their new arena, the Gund Arena. During the off-season, the team signed free agents Michael Cage, and Tony Campbell. However, before the regular season began, the Cavaliers lost Brad Daugherty to a back injury, and Gerald Wilkins to a ruptured Achilles tendon, as both players were out for the entire season.

For the season, the Cavaliers redesigned their primary logo, replacing the color blue with black and light blue to their color scheme of orange and white; the team's primary logo featured an orange basketball going into a white net on a black square, above the team nickname "Cavs" in light blue letters with black inlines. The team also redesigned their home and road uniforms, adding a light blue splash across their jerseys and shorts, a black and light blue trim, and the team's primary logo on the right leg of their shorts. The white home uniforms featured the word "Cavs" in orange letters with black inlines on the front of their jerseys, while the road uniforms were changed from blue to black, and featured the city name "Cleveland" in orange letters with black inlines.

However, the Cavaliers' new uniforms were criticized and disliked by many fans and critics, and were even considered "ugly". The team's new primary logo would remain in use until 2003, while the new uniforms would be slightly redesigned in 1997, where they would alter the light blue splash from the right leg of their shorts.

Regular season With the addition of Cage, and despite losing both Daugherty and Wilkins, the Cavaliers got off to a 9–8 start to the regular season, and then posted an 11-game winning streak in December, which led them to a 20–8 record. However, the team played below .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, as Mark Price only played just 48 games due to a broken wrist injury; the team later on held a 28–19 record at the All-Star break. Price eventually returned, as the Cavaliers finished in fourth place in the Central Division with a 43–39 record, and earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Price averaged 15.8 points and 7.0 assists per game, and led the Cavaliers with 103 three-point field goals, while Tyrone Hill averaged 13.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, and backup point guard Terrell Brandon, who stepped up in Price's absence, provided the team with 13.3 points, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. In addition, second-year forward Chris Mills became the team's starting small forward, averaging 12.3 points per game, while Hot Rod Williams provided with 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, and Bobby Phills contributed 11.0 points and 1.4 steals per game. Meanwhile, Cage averaged 5.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while off the bench, Danny Ferry contributed 7.5 points per game, and Campbell contributed 6.0 points per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, Hill was selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his first and only All-Star appearance. Hill also finished tied in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting, while head coach Mike Fratello finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting, behind Del Harris of the Los Angeles Lakers.

During this season, the Cavaliers were known as a low-scoring, defensive team, as Fratello switched to a slow-paced, defensive coaching style; the team finished last in the NBA in scoring averaging 90.5 points per game, while allowing 89.8 points per game from their opponents, which was the best in the league, and also had the third best team defensive rating. The Cavaliers also finished fourth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 833,850 at the Gund Arena during the regular season.

NBA playoffs In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1995 NBA playoffs, the Cavaliers faced off against the 3rd–seeded New York Knicks, who were led by All-Star center Patrick Ewing, All-Star guard John Starks, and Sixth Man of the Year, Anthony Mason. However, the Cavaliers were without Brandon, who suffered a leg injury during the final month of the regular season. The Cavaliers lost Game 1 to the Knicks on the road, 103–79 at Madison Square Garden, but managed to win Game 2 on the road, 90–84 to even the series. However, the Cavaliers lost the next two games at home, which included a Game 4 loss to the Knicks at the Gund Arena, 93–80, thus losing the series in four games.

Aftermath Following the season, Price was traded to the Washington Bullets after nine seasons with the Cavaliers, while Williams was dealt to the Phoenix Suns, Wilkins was left unprotected in the 1995 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies expansion team, Campbell was released to free agency, and John Battle retired.

Offseason

Free agents

Trades

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team 2 42 Gary Collier Forward Tulsa 1st round pick (#16) traded to Golden State in Tyrone Hill deal.16. Golden State Warriors Used to draft Clifford Rozier.

Roster

Roster notes Center Brad Daugherty was on the injured reserve list due to a back injury, and missed the entire regular season. Guard/forward Gerald Wilkins was on the injured reserve list due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, and missed the entire regular season.

Regular season

Season standings

Game log Regular season

| Gund Arena19,014 | 8–5

| Gund Arena20,562 | 20–8

| Gund Arena20,562 | 26–16

| Brendan Byrne Arena15,652 | 31–19

1994–95 Cleveland Cavaliers season

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