The 1988-89 Cavs were 6-0 against the Bulls in the regular season... great team?

[72-10]

then lost in five to the Bulls in that season's playoffs first round

How did both of these things happen in the same season? Has this happened before? Are the 1988-89 Cavs a great team?

[Roundball_Rock]

If they were great, how did they lose in the first round to a supposed 1 man team? :confusedshrug: What did they do in subsequent years? They went 42-40 the next year.

That core was together, with their stars in their primes, from 1989-1994. They won 57 games and made the ECF in 92', won 54 games but got swept in the ECSF. That was basically all their success.

1989: 57-25, 1st round
1990: 42-40, 1st round
1991: 33-49, missed PO
1992: 57-25, ECF
1993: 54-28, ECSF (swept)
1994: 47-35, 1st round (swept)

[Indian guy]

If they were great, how did they lose in the first round to a supposed 1 man team? :confusedshrug: What did they do in subsequent years? They went 42-40 the next year.

That core was together, with their stars in their primes, from 1989-1994. They won 57 games and made the ECF in 92', won 54 games but got swept in the ECSF. That was basically all their success.

1989: 57-25, 1st round
1990: 42-40, 1st round
1991: 33-49, missed PO
1992: 57-25, ECF
1993: 54-28, ECSF (swept)
1994: 47-35, 1st round (swept)

Daugherty and Price missed most of '90 and '91. Thus the low win totals those 2 years. When healthy they had either the 2nd or 3rd best record in the EC from 1989-1993. Bulls upset 'em in '89 on the backs of a historically great series by MJ (40/6/8 on 60% TS). And by '92 Bulls simply had the better team.

Honestly, it was simply bad luck for Cleveland to hit their prime the same times MJ/Bulls did. They might have had a Finals appearance or 2 otherwise.

[Roundball_Rock]

So Price and Daughtery miss time and they become a lottery team without either during that span? What does that say about what you correctly note was the 2nd or 3rd "best" EC team during that time frame (until Daughtery, Nance retired after 94')? Jordan missed an entire season and...

[3ball]

the 89' Cavs were the #1 SRS team and the #2 defense, with 3 all-stars plus 20/5/5 Ron Harper

They were better than any team Lebron beat in the East

For example, the 89' Bulls beat the #1 SRS Cavs, so surely they would beat the #6 Pistons in 07', or the #4 Magic in 09'

Indeed, MJ carried teams more because he actually had low seeds/bad teams in the playoffs, whereas lebron always had high seeds in the playoffs - he never took a low seed deep in the playoffs like MJ in 89'

[8Ball]

If they were great, how did they lose in the first round to a supposed 1 man team? :confusedshrug: What did they do in subsequent years? They went 42-40 the next year.

That core was together, with their stars in their primes, from 1989-1994. They won 57 games and made the ECF in 92', won 54 games but got swept in the ECSF. That was basically all their success.

1989: 57-25, 1st round
1990: 42-40, 1st round
1991: 33-49, missed PO
1992: 57-25, ECF
1993: 54-28, ECSF (swept)
1994: 47-35, 1st round (swept)

Looks like the Brooklyn nets during the 2010s.

Why are they even mentioned.

[NBAGOAT]

they were really good but along with mj having a goat lvl series, they choked too.

[Roundball_Rock]

Looks like the Brooklyn nets during the 2010s.

Why are they even mentioned.

Who else is there? When the Cavs legitimately were the second best non-Bulls team in the East from 1991-1994 (Knicks the best). Pacers? 40-42 wins every year of the decade until 94', when they got to 47. Heat? Sucked before 97'. Magic? Not a contender until 95'. Pistons? 50 wins in 91', ECF but never heard from again.

They are desperate and forced to hype the Cavs because they can't admit the Bulls had no legit comp.

[8Ball]

True. I remember believing the myth that Jordan faced killers in the 90s and it turns out that it was just a bunch of teams comparable to the 2010 East.