# 2014–15 Cleveland Cavaliers season
The 2014–15 [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-cavaliers) season was the [National Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-basketball-association) (NBA) franchise's 45th season, marked by [LeBron James](https://www.edgepedia.org/lebron-james)'s return to Cleveland, a 53–29 record and first-place finish in the Central Division, and a run to the NBA Finals, where the Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2015.html) • [2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular season record | 53–29 (.646), 1st of 5 in the Central Division; second-best record in the Eastern Conference[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2015.html) • [3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) |
| Home / road | 31–10 at home, 22–19 on the road[4](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612739/2022/10/10-history.pdf) |
| Head coach | David Blatt, a rookie NBA coach hired from the Euroleague[3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) |
| Playoff run | Swept the Boston Celtics, beat the Chicago Bulls in six games, swept the Atlanta Hawks 4–0 in the Eastern Conference Finals[5](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run) |
| NBA Finals | Lost 4–2 to the Golden State Warriors[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/) |
| Team ratings | Offensive rating 111.1, defensive rating 106.3, net rating +4.8, pace 92.3[6](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2015.html) |
| Attendance | 843,042 total, 20,562 per game at Quicken Loans Arena[6](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2015.html) |
## Offseason: James returns and the roster is rebuilt
The Cavaliers came into the offseason after a 33–49 season, their fourth straight losing year.[7](https://time.com/4191152/david-blatt-cavaliers-fired-lebron-james/) • [3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) In June 2014 they drafted [Andrew Wiggins](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-wiggins) with the first overall pick and hired [David Blatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-blatt), an Israeli-American coach who had won a European championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv, as head coach.[3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) • [8](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-us/article/2014/07/12/lebron-james-le-retour-du-roi_6004859_1616670.html) On July 11, 2014, LeBron James announced in an essay to *Sports Illustrated* that he was returning to [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) after four seasons with the Miami Heat.[3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers)
Shortly afterward, the Cavaliers traded Wiggins and Anthony Bennett to the [Minnesota Timberwolves](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-timberwolves) in a three-team deal that brought All-Star forward [Kevin Love](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-love) to Cleveland, forming a new trio of James, Love, and All-Star point guard [Kyrie Irving](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyrie-irving).[3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) • [5](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run) The offseason also added former James teammates Mike Miller and James Jones, along with veteran Shawn Marion.[5](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run)
## Regular season
**A slow start.** The season began with shaky play and numerous injuries, and at one point the Cavaliers stood at 19–20.[3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) By mid-January most injured players had recovered, and the team had added players through trades, acquiring big man [Timofey Mozgov](https://www.edgepedia.org/timofey-mozgov), J.R. Smith, and [Iman Shumpert](https://www.edgepedia.org/iman-shumpert) during the season.[3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) • [5](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run)
**The turnaround.** Cleveland won 34 of its remaining 43 games to finish 53–29, second in the Eastern Conference behind the 60-win [Atlanta Hawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-hawks), and closed the season winning 10 of its last 13 games.[3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) • [5](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run) The team's monthly record shows the arc: 7–6 in November, 10–7 in December, 11–6 in January, and 11–4 in March.[4](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612739/2022/10/10-history.pdf) The Cavaliers posted a 111.1 offensive rating against a 106.3 defensive rating, a net rating of +4.8, and played at a 92.3 pace.[6](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2015.html)
## Playoffs
Cleveland reached the Finals despite injuries. Kevin Love suffered a shoulder injury in the first-round series against Boston that ended his postseason, and Kyrie Irving wrestled with knee issues throughout the playoffs.[5](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run) The Cavaliers nonetheless swept the Celtics, defeated the [Chicago Bulls](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-bulls) in six games, and swept the Atlanta Hawks 4–0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.[5](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run) • [3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers)
## NBA Finals
[The Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-finals) matched Cleveland against the [Golden State Warriors](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-state-warriors), whose Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson led a deep roster under new coach Steve Kerr.[5](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run) Irving cracked his knee late in Game 1 and was lost for the rest of the series, leaving James without either of his All-Star teammates; Love had already missed the entire series.[5](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run) • [9](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/these-cavs-warriors-games-are-not-previews-of-the-nba-finals/)
With Irving out, the Cavaliers turned to Matthew Dellavedova, an undrafted free agent, at point guard; Cleveland was 2–0 with Dellavedova in the starting lineup during that stretch.[10](https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/five-keys-cavaliers-warriors-game-2) The shorthanded Cavs ran a rotation of roughly seven players, with Smith, Dellavedova, Timofey Mozgov, and Tristan Thompson carrying heavier minutes.[11](https://www.si.com/nba/2015/06/15/cavaliers-lebron-james-jr-smith-timofey-mozgov-tristan-thompson-matthew-dellavedova-nba-finals) Cleveland took a 2–1 series lead, but the Warriors won the next three games to take the title 4–2.[3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) The Warriors' small "Death Lineup" played 24 percent of the minutes in the series, the most of any lineup, and outscored the Cavaliers by 21.8 points per 100 possessions.[9](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/these-cavs-warriors-games-are-not-previews-of-the-nba-finals/)
## Aftermath
The season set up the Cavaliers' 2015–16 campaign, in which Cleveland returned to the Finals and won the franchise's first championship, again against the Warriors.[3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers) Blatt's overall record with the Cavaliers, including the following season, stood at 83–40 (.675) before his January 2016 dismissal.[4](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612739/2022/10/10-history.pdf) • [3](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers)
## References
1. [2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2015.html)
2. [Cleveland Cavaliers Historical Statistics, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/)
3. [Cleveland Cavaliers, Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western Reserve University](https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-cavaliers)
4. [All-Time Cleveland Cavaliers Team Statistics and Records, NBA.com](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612739/2022/10/10-history.pdf)
5. [Decade of Dominance: Cleveland championship realized at long last for LeBron James, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/decade-dominance-lebron-james-part-iv-return-cleveland-2017-finals-run)
6. [2014-15 NBA Season Summary, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2015.html)
7. [Why the Cavaliers Fired David Blatt, Time](https://time.com/4191152/david-blatt-cavaliers-fired-lebron-james/)
8. [LeBron James, le retour du Roi, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-us/article/2014/07/12/lebron-james-le-retour-du-roi_6004859_1616670.html)
9. [These Cavs-Warriors Games Are Not Previews Of The NBA Finals, FiveThirtyEight](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/these-cavs-warriors-games-are-not-previews-of-the-nba-finals/)
10. [Five Keys: Cavaliers at Warriors - Game 2, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/five-keys-cavaliers-warriors-game-2)
11. [LeBron James, Cavs face dwindling options as NBA Finals progress, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nba/2015/06/15/cavaliers-lebron-james-jr-smith-timofey-mozgov-tristan-thompson-matthew-dellavedova-nba-finals)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA and WNBA seasons, champions, and records*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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