2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season NBA professional basketball team season, first championship
NBA professional basketball team season
(Photo from 2016 to 2017 season) Team captain forward LeBron James played his ninth season with Cleveland (and the second of his second stint). He was an All-Star for the twelfth time in his career, was named to the All-NBA First Team, and was named Finals MVP after leading the Cavaliers back from a 3–1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors for the franchise's first NBA title.
The 2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 46th season of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA championship, the first NBA championship in franchise history. During the regular season, the Cavaliers had the third best team offensive rating and were tenth in team defensive rating in the NBA. During the playoffs, the Cavaliers had the best team offensive rating and were eighth in team defensive rating in the NBA.
In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in four games in the first round, then swept the Atlanta Hawks in four games in the Semi-finals, before finally defeating the Toronto Raptors in six games in the Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals for a second consecutive year. There, the Cavaliers faced off against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors , the team that defeated them in the previous year's NBA Finals in six games, and were coming off of the best regular-season record in NBA history at 73–9.
The Cavaliers would go on to defeat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals in seven games, coming back from a 3–1 series deficit to avenge their loss from the prior year. The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA Finals history to recover from a 3–1 series deficit and win.[ 1] The Cavaliers' victory also marked the first championship win by a major professional sports team from Cleveland since 1964, ending a 52–year championship drought dating back to the 1964 NFL title won by the Cleveland Browns . The Cleveland Cavaliers would be the first NBA champion to represent the Central Division since the 2003–04 Detroit Pistons.
Regular season summary
The Cavaliers started the season strong and rose to the top of the Eastern Conference . However, despite having the best record in their conference, the team fired head coach David Blatt on January 22, 2016.[ 2] Assistant coach Tyronn Lue took over for the remainder of the season.[ 3] The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 57–25 record and obtained the number one seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2010 .[ 4]
Team captain guard Kyrie Irving played his fifth season with Cleveland and hit the go-ahead shot in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Postseason summary
In the 2016 NBA Playoffs' first round, the Cleveland Cavaliers matched up against the 8th seed Detroit Pistons . In the first game of their series, Cleveland's point guard Kyrie Irving led the way scoring 31 points and sealing a win for the Cavaliers, 106–101.[ 5] The Cavs swept the rest of the series, winning 107–90 in Game 2, 101–91 in Game 3, and 100–98 in Game 4.[ 6] Kyrie Irving was the top scorer of the series averaging 27.5 points per game,[ 7] LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers in this series in assist and steals, averaging 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals,[ 8] and big man Kevin Love led Cleveland in rebounds averaging 12 total rebounds per game.[ 9] The Cavaliers were matched with the number four seed, Atlanta Hawks , for their second series in the 2015-2016 post-season. Similar to their last series, they swept their opponents 4–0.[ 10] Lebron James led the way in scoring, averaging 24.3 points per game. He also led his team in assists and steals, averaging 7.8 assists and 3 steals per game.[ 11] Kevin Love was the rebound leader for the series averaging 13 rebounds per game.[ 12] The Cavaliers were now facing the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals . The series between the Raptors and the Cavaliers took 6 games to finish with Cleveland winning 4 to 2. This was the first time in their 2015-2016 playoff run that they lost a game.[ 13] Lebron James led his team in all major stats against the Toronto Raptors . He averaged 26 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in the 6-game series.[ 14] The Cavaliers were off to face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals. They were considered huge underdogs because the Warriors had accomplished an incredible feat in the regular season, seventy-three wins and nine losses, the best record ever in the NBA .[ 15]
The Cavaliers lost three of the first four games of the 2016 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors , who had defeated Cleveland in the Finals the year before .[ 16] The first two games were blowouts for Golden State, 104–89 and 110–77 respectively, combining for a total winning margin of 48. Cleveland would respond with a 120–90 blowout of their own to cut the series deficit to 2–1, but the Warriors would pull away late in Game 4 to take a decisive 3–1 series lead. In turn, the Cavaliers won Games 5 and 6 of the series to bring about a climactic Game 7 at Oracle Arena .[ 17]
With Game 7 tied at 89–89, LeBron James chased down and blocked Andre Iguodala 's attempted lay-up in a play that became known as "The Block." [ 18] [ 19] The Cavaliers ultimately won Game 7, 93–89, for the first NBA championship in franchise history.[ 17] Until then, no team had recovered from a 3–1 deficit in an NBA Finals series.[ 1] James was named the unanimous NBA Finals MVP , receiving the award for the third time in his career.[ 18]
This win ended a fifty-two year championship drought in the city of Cleveland, with the last championship that any major sports team had won there being in 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won an NFL season .[ 20] Prior to this ring, he had only won with the Miami Heat .
Draft picks
Roster
2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers roster
Players
Coaches
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
(DP) Unsigned draft pick(FA) Free agent(S) Suspended Injured
Roster Updated: April 13, 2016
Player statistics
Regular season
[ 21]
Standings
Preseason
2015 pre-season game log Total: 1–6 (Home: 1–4; Road: 0–2)
Pre-season: 1–6 (home: 1–4; road: 0–2)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location Attendance
Record
1
October 7 7:00 pm
Atlanta
96–98
J. R. Smith (15)
LeBron James (7)
LeBron James (5)
Cintas Center 10,250
0–1
2
October 8 7:00 pm
@ Philadelphia
114–115
Jared Cunningham (31)
Austin Daye (9)
Matthew Dellavedova (5)
Wells Fargo Center 8,229
0–2
3
October 12 7:00 pm
Memphis
81–91
LeBron James (14)
Anderson Varejão (7)
Matthew Dellavedova (4)
Schottenstein Center 18,073
0–3
4
October 13 7:00 pm
Milwaukee
101–110
Mo Williams (18)
Kaun , Williams (6)
Cook , Williams (4)
Quicken Loans Arena 18,624
0–4
5
October 15 7:00 pm
Indiana
85–107
Timofey Mozgov (16)
Anderson Varejão (7)
Jared Cunningham (6)
Quicken Loans Arena 18,774
0–5
6
October 18 8:00 pm
@ Toronto
81–87
Mo Williams (13)
Timofey Mozgov (11)
Dellavedova , Varejão (5)
Air Canada Centre 19,800
0–6
7
October 19 7:00 pm
Dallas
103–97
J. R. Smith (19)
Jack Cooley (15)
Cunningham , Dellavedova (5)
Quicken Loans Arena 18,768
1–6
2015–16 season schedule
Regular season game log
2015–16 game log Total: 57–25 (Home: 33–8; Road: 24–17)
October: 2–1 (home: 1–0; road: 1–1)
November
: 11–3 (home: 8–0; road: 3–3)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location Attendance
Record
4
November 2
@ Philadelphia
107–100
LeBron James (22)
James , Thompson (9)
LeBron James (11)
Wells Fargo Center 18,094
3–1
5
November 4
New York
96–86
LeBron James (23)
Tristan Thompson (13)
Matthew Dellavedova (7)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
4–1
6
November 6
Philadelphia
108–102
LeBron James (31)
Kevin Love (14)
LeBron James (13)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
5–1
7
November 8
Indiana
101–97
LeBron James (29)
Kevin Love (15)
Matthew Dellavedova (9)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
6–1
8
November 10
Utah
118–114
LeBron James (31)
Kevin Love (8)
LeBron James (8)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
7–1
9
November 13
@ New York
90–84
LeBron James (31)
Kevin Love (11)
LeBron James (6)
Madison Square Garden 19,812
8–1
10
November 14
@ Milwaukee
105–108 (2OT)
LeBron James (37)
Kevin Love (14)
Matthew Dellavedova (7)
BMO Harris Bradley Center 18,717
8–2
11
November 17
@ Detroit
99–104
LeBron James (30)
Love , Thompson (9)
Mo Williams (7)
The Palace of Auburn Hills 18,442
8–3
12
November 19
Milwaukee
115–100
LeBron James (27)
Kevin Love (15)
Matthew Dellavedova (13)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
9–3
13
November 21
Atlanta
109–97
Kevin Love (25)
Tristan Thompson (16)
LeBron James (8)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
10–3
14
November 23
Orlando
117–103
Kevin Love (34)
Tristan Thompson (14)
LeBron James (13)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
11–3
15
November 25
@ Toronto
99–103
LeBron James (24)
Kevin Love (13)
LeBron James (8)
Air Canada Centre 20,140
11–4
16
November 27
@ Charlotte
95–90
LeBron James (25)
Kevin Love (16)
James , Dellavedova (5)
Time Warner Cable Arena 19,093
12–4
17
November 28
Brooklyn
90–88
James , Love (26)
Tristan Thompson (11)
Matthew Dellavedova (6)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
13–4
December
: 8–5 (home: 4–1; road: 4–4)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location Attendance
Record
18
December 1
Washington
85–97
LeBron James (24)
LeBron James (13)
LeBron James (4)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
13–5
19
December 4
@ New Orleans
108–114 (OT)
LeBron James (37)
Love , Thompson (10)
LeBron James (8)
Smoothie King Center 17,906
13–6
20
December 5
@ Miami
84–99
Richard Jefferson (18)
Kevin Love (8)
Matthew Dellavedova (5)
American Airlines Arena 19,600
13–7
21
December 8
Portland
105–100
LeBron James (33)
LeBron James (10)
Kevin Love (4)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
14–7
22
December 11
@ Orlando
111–76
LeBron James (25)
Kevin Love (13)
LeBron James (8)
Amway Center 17,239
15–7
23
December 15
@ Boston
89–77
LeBron James (24)
Timofey Mozgov (10)
Kevin Love (5)
TD Garden 18,624
16–7
24
December 17
Oklahoma City
104–100
LeBron James (33)
Tristan Thompson (15)
LeBron James (11)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
17–7
25
December 20
Philadelphia
108–86
LeBron James (23)
Timofey Mozgov (8)
Irving , James , Smith , Shumpert (4)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
18–7
26
December 23
New York
91–84
LeBron James (24)
Kevin Love (13)
Matthew Dellavedova (7)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
19–7
27
December 25
@ Golden State
83–89
LeBron James (25)
Kevin Love (18)
Kevin Love (4)
Oracle Arena 19,596
19–8
28
December 26
@ Portland
76–105
Kevin Love (13)
Tristan Thompson (11)
Matthew Dellavedova (6)
Moda Center 19,393
19–9
29
December 28
@ Phoenix
101–97
Kyrie Irving (22)
Tristan Thompson (10)
LeBron James (7)
Talking Stick Resort Arena 18,319
20–9
30
December 29
@ Denver
93–87
LeBron James (34)
Kevin Love (14)
Matthew Dellavedova (5)
Pepsi Center 17,523
21–9
January
: 13–3 (home: 6–2; road: 7–1)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location Attendance
Record
31
January 2
Orlando
104–79
LeBron James (29)
Kevin Love (13)
Matthew Dellavedova (6)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
22–9
32
January 4
Toronto
122–100
Kyrie Irving (25)
Tristan Thompson (11)
Kyrie Irving (8)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
23–9
33
January 6
@ Washington
121–115
LeBron James (34)
LeBron James (10)
LeBron James (4)
Verizon Center 20,356
24–9
34
January 8
@ Minnesota
125–99
J.R. Smith (27)
LeBron James (12)
LeBron James (8)
Target Center 16,768
25–9
35
January 10
@ Philadelphia
95–85
LeBron James (37)
Kevin Love (15)
LeBron James (9)
Wells Fargo Center 19,226
26–9
36
January 12
@ Dallas
110–107 (OT)
LeBron James (27)
Kevin Love (11)
Kyrie Irving (9)
American Airlines Center 20,347
27–9
37
January 14
@ San Antonio
95–99
LeBron James (22)
Tristan Thompson (11)
LeBron James (4)
AT&T Center 18,418
27–10
38
January 15
@ Houston
91–77
Kyrie Irving (23)
Kevin Love (13)
LeBron James (7)
Toyota Center 18,320
28–10
39
January 18
Golden State
98–132
LeBron James (16)
Kevin Love (6)
Matthew Dellavedova (6)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
28–11
40
January 20
@ Brooklyn
91–78
James , Love (17)
Kevin Love (18)
Irving , James (5)
Barclays Center 17,732
29–11
41
January 21
L.A. Clippers
115–102
James , Smith (22)
Kevin Love (16)
LeBron James (12)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
30–11
42
January 23
Chicago
83–96
LeBron James (26)
LeBron James (13)
LeBron James (9)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
30–12
43
January 25
Minnesota
114–107
LeBron James (25)
Tristan Thompson (12)
LeBron James (9)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
31–12
44
January 27
Phoenix
115–93
James , Love (21)
Kevin Love (11)
LeBron James (9)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
32–12
45
January 29
@ Detroit
114–106
Kevin Love (29)
Tristan Thompson (14)
LeBron James (8)
The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,012
33–12
46
January 30
San Antonio
117–103
LeBron James (29)
Kevin Love (11)
LeBron James (7)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
34–12
February
: 8–5 (home: 6–2; road: 2–3)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location Attendance
Record
47
February 1
@ Indiana
111–106 (OT)
Kyrie Irving (25)
James , Thompson (12)
Kyrie Irving (7)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse 17,283
35–12
48
February 3
@ Charlotte
97–106
Kyrie Irving (26)
Kevin Love (12)
LeBron James (6)
Time Warner Cable Arena 19,189
35–13
49
February 5
Boston
103–104
LeBron James (30)
Tristan Thompson (10)
Kyrie Irving (6)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
35–14
50
February 6
New Orleans
99–84
Kyrie Irving (29)
Tristan Thompson (15)
LeBron James (8)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
36–14
51
February 8
Sacramento
120–100
Kyrie Irving (32)
James , Thompson (10)
Kyrie Irving (12)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
37–14
52
February 10
L.A. Lakers
120–111
Kyrie Irving (35)
Tristan Thompson (13)
LeBron James (11)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
38–14
All-Star Break
53
February 18
Chicago
106–95
LeBron James (25)
Kevin Love (12)
LeBron James (9)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
39–14
54
February 21
@ Oklahoma City
115–92
Kevin Love (29)
Tristan Thompson (11)
LeBron James (9)
Chesapeake Energy Arena 18,203
40–14
55
February 22
Detroit
88–96
Kyrie Irving (30)
LeBron James (8)
Irving , James (5)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
40–15
56
February 24
Charlotte
114–103
Irving , James (23)
Tristan Thompson (10)
Dellavedova , James (7)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
41–15
57
February 26
@ Toronto
97–99
LeBron James (25)
Tristan Thompson (9)
LeBron James (7)
Air Canada Centre 19,800
41–16
58
February 28
@ Washington
99–115
Kyrie Irving (28)
Timofey Mozgov (10)
Kyrie Irving (6)
Verizon Center 20,356
41–17
59
February 29
Indiana
100–96
LeBron James (33)
Tristan Thompson (11)
Irving , Love (6)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
42–17
March
: 11–5 (home: 6–2; road: 5–3)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location Attendance
Record
60
March 4
Washington
108–83
Kyrie Irving (21)
LeBron James (13)
Kyrie Irving (8)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
43–17
61
March 5
Boston
120–103
LeBron James (28)
Iman Shumpert (16)
LeBron James (8)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
44–17
62
March 7
Memphis
103–106
LeBron James (28)
Kevin Love (11)
Irving , James (5)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
44–18
63
March 9
@ Sacramento
120–111
Kyrie Irving (30)
LeBron James (11)
LeBron James (6)
Sleep Train Arena 17,317
45–18
64
March 10
@ L.A. Lakers
120–108
Kyrie Irving (26)
Tristan Thompson (14)
Kyrie Irving (9)
Staples Center 18,997
46–18
65
March 13
@ L.A. Clippers
114–90
LeBron James (27)
Tristan Thompson (14)
Irving , James (5)
Staples Center 19,342
47–18
66
March 14
@ Utah
85–94
LeBron James (23)
LeBron James (12)
Matthew Dellavedova (5)
Vivint Smart Home Arena 19,911
47–19
67
March 16
Dallas
99–98
Kyrie Irving (33)
Kevin Love (18)
Matthew Dellavedova (7)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
48–19
68
March 18
@ Orlando
109–103
Kyrie Irving (26)
Tristan Thompson (15)
LeBron James (8)
Amway Center 18,046
49–19
69
March 19
@ Miami
101–122
LeBron James (26)
Frye , Jefferson , Mozgov (4)
Irving , Shumpert (4)
American Airlines Arena 19,737
49–20
70
March 21
Denver
124–91
LeBron James (33)
LeBron James (11)
LeBron James (11)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
50–20
71
March 23
Milwaukee
113–104
LeBron James (26)
Kevin Love (10)
Irving , James (8)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
51–20
72
March 24
@ Brooklyn
95–104
LeBron James (30)
Kevin Love (12)
LeBron James (5)
Barclays Center 17,732
51–21
73
March 26
@ New York
107–93
Kevin Love (28)
Kevin Love (12)
LeBron James (10)
Madison Square Garden 19,812
52–21
74
March 29
Houston
100–106
Kyrie Irving (31)
Kevin Love (11)
Kyrie Irving (8)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
52–22
75
March 31
Brooklyn
107–87
LeBron James (24)
Kevin Love (10)
LeBron James (11)
Quicken Loans Arena 20,562
53–22
April
: 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2)
2015–16 season schedule
Playoffs
Game log
2016 playoff game log Total: 16–5 (Home: 9–1; Road: 7–4)
First Round: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Conference Semifinals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
2016 playoff schedule
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Re-signed
Additions
Subtractions
Awards, records and milestones
Awards
Recipient
Award
Date awarded
Ref.
LeBron James
Eastern Conference Player of the Week
November 23, 2015
[ 40]
LeBron James
Eastern Conference Player of the Week
January 11, 2016
[ 41]
LeBron James
NBA All-Star starter (12th appearance)
January 21, 2016
[ 42]
Tyronn Lue
NBA All-Star Game head coach
January 27, 2016
[ 43]
LeBron James
Eastern Conference Player of the Month (February)
March 3, 2016
[ 44]
LeBron James
Eastern Conference Player of the Week
March 7, 2016
[ 45]
LeBron James
Eastern Conference Player of the Week
March 28, 2016
[ 46]
LeBron James
Eastern Conference Player of the Week
April 4, 2016
[ 47]
LeBron James
Eastern Conference Player of the Month (March)
April 5, 2016
[ 48]
LeBron James
Eastern Conference Player of the Month (April)
April 15, 2016
[ 49]
LeBron James
All-NBA First Team
May 26, 2016
[ 50]
LeBron James
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
June 19, 2016
[ 51]
LeBron James
Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year
December 1, 2016
[ 52]
LeBron James
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
December 27, 2016
[ 53]
Records
JR Smith set franchise records in:
Three-point field goals in a season: (204)
Three-point field goal attempts in a season: (510)
Turnover percentage in a season: (6.3%)
Three-point field goals in a postseason: (65)
Tristan Thompson set a franchise record in:
Offensive rating in a season: (129.8)
Milestones
On March 29, Tristan Thompson broke the franchise record of consecutive games with the Cavs, appearing in his 362nd consecutive game.
The Cavs finished the season first in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2010 .
The Cavs finished first in the Central Division for the second straight season.
The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 deficit and win the NBA Finals .
The Cavs won the 2016 NBA Finals , ending the city's 52-year championship drought .
LeBron James famously blocked Andre Iguodala in Game 7. This has been called one of the best plays of his career.
LeBron James became the third player in NBA history to record a triple-double in Game 7 of the NBA Finals .
James also became the first player in NBA history to lead both NBA Finals teams in all five statistical categories for the round.
References
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^ Brian Windhorst ; McMenamin, Dave (January 23, 2016). "David Blatt and the unwinding of his Cleveland tenure" . ESPN . Archived from the original on May 2, 2018.
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^ Vardon, Joe (April 11, 2016). "LeBron James clearly coveted the No. 1 seed for the Cleveland Cavaliers" . cleveland.com . Archived from the original on May 2, 2018.
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^ "2016 NBA Eastern Conference First Round - Pistons vs. Cavaliers" . Basketball-Reference.com . Retrieved February 17, 2022 .
^ "2016 NBA Eastern Conference First Round - Pistons vs. Cavaliers" . Basketball-Reference.com . Retrieved February 17, 2022 .
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^ "2016 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals - Hawks vs. Cavaliers" . Basketball-Reference.com . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ "2016 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals - Hawks vs. Cavaliers" . Basketball-Reference.com . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ Cato, Tim (May 27, 2016). "LeBron goes to 6th straight Finals with Game 6 win" . SBNation.com . Retrieved March 1, 2022 .
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^ "Warriors reach 73 wins in blowout to set new single-season record" . sports.yahoo.com . Retrieved March 1, 2022 .
^ Cacciola, Scott (June 17, 2015). "Golden State Warriors End N.B.A. Title Drought With Victory Over Cavaliers" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved May 12, 2018 .
^ a b Cacciola, Scott (June 19, 2016). "Cavaliers Defeat Warriors to Win Their First N.B.A. Title" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved May 12, 2018 .
^ a b Arnovitz, Kevin (June 20, 2016). "LeBron James named unanimous Finals MVP after Cavs' Game 7 win" . ESPN . Archived from the original on May 12, 2018.
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^ "2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats" .
^ "Cavaliers Acquire Draft Rights to Cedi Osman and Rakeem Christmas from Minnesota" . nba.com/cavaliers . June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015 .
^ "Cavs Acquire Second Round Pick from Pacers" . nba.com/cavaliers . July 23, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015 .
^ "Cavaliers Complete Trade with Portland" . nba.com/cavaliers . July 27, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015 .
^ "Cavaliers Acquire Protected Second Round Pick From Orlando" . nba.com/cavaliers . January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016 .
^ a b "Cavaliers Acquire Channing Frye" . nba.com/cavaliers . February 18, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016 .
^ "Cavaliers Re-sign Guard Iman Shumpert" . nba.com/cavs . July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015 .
^ "Cavaliers Re-sign Forward Kevin Love" . nba.com/cavaliers . July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015 .
^ "Cavaliers Re-sign Forward LeBron James" . nba.com/cavaliers . July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015 .
^ "Cavaliers Re-sign James Jones" . nba.com/cavaliers . July 25, 2015. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2015 .
^ "Cavs Re-sign Guard Matthew Dellavedova" . nba.com/cavaliers . July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015 .
^ "Cavs Re-sign Guard J.R. Smith" . nba.com/cavaliers . September 2, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015 .
^ "Cavs Re-Sign Forward Tristan Thompson" . nba.com/cavaliers . October 22, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015 .
^ "Cavs Sign guard Mo Williams" . nba.com/cavs . July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015 .
^ "Cavs Sign Forward Richard Jefferson" . nba.com/cavs . August 5, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015 .
^ "Cavs Sign Center Sasha Kaun" . nba.com/cavs . September 9, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015 .
^ "Marion to retire at end of season" . ESPN . January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015 .
^ "Pelicans Sign Kendrick Perkins" . nba.com/pelicans . July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015 .
^ "Warriors Sign Free Agent Center Anderson Varejao" . NBA.com . February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016 .
^ "LeBron James Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week - November 23, 2015" . NBA.com . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "LeBron James Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week - January 11, 2016" . NBA.com . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "LeBron James Named 2016 NBA All-Star Starter" . NBA.com . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "Tyronn Lue will coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars" . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "LeBron James Named Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month: February 2016" . NBA.com . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "LeBron James Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week - March 7, 2016" . NBA.com . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "James, Thompson named Players of the Week" . NBA.com . March 28, 2016. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "For the 53rd time, yes, LeBron player of week" . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "LeBron James Named Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month: March 2016" . NBA.com . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "LeBron James wins East player of the month for April, making it three in a row" . April 15, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "Curry, James lead 2015-16 All-NBA First Team" . NBA.com . May 26, 2016. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "LeBron James named 2016 NBA Finals MVP" . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "Crowning The King: LeBron James is Sports Illustrated's 2016 Sportsperson of the Year" . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James named AP Male Athlete of Year" . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
Notes
1. ^ Varejão never played a single game for Portland.
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