2021–22 Cleveland Cavaliers season
The 2021–22 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 52nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1] The regular season for the league began in the month of October and featured the typical 82-game schedule, returning to its typical format. In the previous season, the league started in the month of December and featured only 72 games due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Cavaliers had the third pick in the 2021 NBA draft, and selected Evan Mobley out of the University of Southern California.[2] The NBA announced that the All-Star Game will be played at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, which was held February 20, 2022.[3] The Cavaliers matched their previous win total of 22 on January 7, 2022, improving to 22–17.[4] The Cavaliers clinched their first winning season without LeBron James since 1998 and their first winning season since 2018 with a 107–101 win over the Orlando Magic on March 28, 2022. The Cavaliers qualified for the play-in tournament, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season after losing to both the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks.
| 2021–22 Cleveland Cavaliers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | J. B. Bickerstaff |
| General manager | Mike Gansey |
| President | Koby Altman |
| Owners | Dan Gilbert |
| Arena | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse |
| Results | |
| Record | 44–38 (.537) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Central) Conference: 8th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Bally Sports Ohio |
| Radio | WTAM · WMMS |
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Evan Mobley | PF/C | USC (Fr.) | |
With their sole selection in the 2021 NBA draft, the Cavaliers selected Evan Mobley from the University of Southern California as the third overall pick.[2][5]
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
Division
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Milwaukee Bucks | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2.0 | 27–14 | 24–17 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Chicago Bulls | 46 | 36 | .561 | 7.0 | 27–14 | 19–22 | 10–6 | 82 |
| pi − Cleveland Cavaliers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9.0 | 25–16 | 19–22 | 10–6 | 82 |
| Indiana Pacers | 25 | 57 | .305 | 28.0 | 16–25 | 9–32 | 2–14 | 82 |
| Detroit Pistons | 23 | 59 | .280 | 30.0 | 13–28 | 10–31 | 6–10 | 82 |
Conference
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Miami Heat * | 53 | 29 | .646 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Boston Celtics * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 3 | y – Milwaukee Bucks * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Philadelphia 76ers | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Toronto Raptors | 48 | 34 | .585 | 5.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Chicago Bulls | 46 | 36 | .561 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x − Brooklyn Nets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 8 | pi − Cleveland Cavaliers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 9 | x − Atlanta Hawks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 10.0 | 82 |
| 10 | pi − Charlotte Hornets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 10.0 | 82 |
| 11 | New York Knicks | 37 | 45 | .451 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Washington Wizards | 35 | 47 | .427 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Indiana Pacers | 25 | 57 | .305 | 28.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Detroit Pistons | 23 | 59 | .280 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Orlando Magic | 22 | 60 | .268 | 31.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2021 preseason game log Total: 2–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 2–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 2–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 2–1)
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| 2021–22 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
| 2021–22 game log Total: 44–38 (Home: 25–17; Road: 19–21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 3–4 (Home: 1–1; Road: 2–3)
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November: 8–6 (Home: 4–5; Road: 4–1)
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December: 9–6 (Home: 5–3; Road: 4–3)
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January: 11–4 (Home: 6–1; Road: 5–3)
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February: 5–5 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–4)
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March: 6–10 (Home: 5–5; Road: 1–5)
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April: 2–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–2)
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| 2021–22 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Play-in
| 2021 preseason game log Total: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Play-in: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
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| 2021–22 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transactions
Trades
| August 3, 2021[7] | To Cleveland Cavaliers Ricky Rubio |
To Minnesota Timberwolves Taurean Prince 2022 WAS second−round pick Cash considerations |
| August 28, 2021[8] | To Cleveland Cavaliers Lauri Markkanen |
To Portland Trail Blazers Larry Nance Jr. |
| To Chicago Bulls Derrick Jones Jr. 2022 POR protected first-round pick 2023 CLE second-round pick | ||
Re-signed
| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Jarrett Allen[9] | August 6, 2021 |
References
- "2021–22 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- "Cavaliers Select Evan Mobley with Third Overall Pick in 2021 NBA Draft". Cleveland Cavaliers. NBA.com. July 29, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- "Future locations for NBA All-Star Weekend". NBA.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- "Cavaliers vs. Trail Blazers - Game Summary - January 7, 2022 - ESPN".
- "2021 NBA Draft results: Picks 1-60". National Basketball Association. August 1, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- "Full list of NBA game postponements". NBA.com. December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- "Cavaliers Acquire Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves". NBA.com. August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- "TRAIL BLAZERS ACQUIRE FORWARD LARRY NANCE JR. IN THREE-TEAM TRADE". NBA.com. August 28, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- "Cavaliers Sign Jarrett Allen to Multi-Year Extension". NBA.com. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- Adams, Luke (September 8, 2021). "Cavaliers Sign Tre Scott To Camp Deal". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved January 4, 2022.