2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers season
The 2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 39th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They finished the regular season with 66 wins and 16 losses, the best record in the NBA, which easily surpassed the previous franchise best of 57–25 from the 1988–89 and 1991–92 seasons. LeBron James won his first MVP Award and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. The Cavaliers had the fourth best team offensive rating and the third best team defensive rating in the NBA.
| 2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Mike Brown |
| General manager | Danny Ferry |
| Owner(s) | Dan Gilbert |
| Arena | Quicken Loans Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 66–16 (.805) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Central) Conference: 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Eastern Conference Finals (lost to Magic 2–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television |
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| Radio | WTAM |
In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in the First Round in four games, swept the Atlanta Hawks in the Semifinals in four games, before losing to the Orlando Magic in the conference finals in six games, despite the Cavaliers being heavily favored to beat the Magic. The Magic would go on to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals in five games. Prior to their elimination by the Magic, many had expected the Cavs to appear in the Finals, which would've also been LeBron and Kobe Bryant's first head-to-head meeting in the NBA Finals.
This was the last time that James lost in the conference finals until 2023 when the Lakers were swept by the (eventual champion) Denver Nuggets in four games.