3 gifts the Cleveland Cavaliers have given to fans in 2023
By Roger Straz
2023 has been a great year for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the 2023 calendar year, the Cavaliers have a regular season record of 45-30 and finished with a top 4 seed for the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Now, a first-round exit to the New York Knicks might have soured the mood, but just imagine how far the Cavs have come since the 2020-21 season. Let’s not go back there.
Going forward, the Cavs have given the fans many things but above all, they have given us success, a quality product, and hope for the future. To be honest, Cavs fans can’t ask for much more (aside from knocking out the Knicks in the playoffs maybe). 2023 has been great, but here’s to an even better 2024.
That aside, here's three gifts the Cavaliers given the Wine and Gold faithful over the calendar year of 2023.
No. 1: Success: 51 wins and a top 4 seed
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a lot of success in 2023. The grueling 82-game season is a marathon and finishing in the top 4 of the Eastern Conference is an accomplishment in itself. Finishing in the top 4 allows for homecourt advantage in at least the first round of the playoffs. Not only did the Cavaliers finish top 4, but they also earned 51 wins at the end of the 2022-23 season.
One perk to winning 50+ games is your best player gets put into the MVP conversation. Aside from 2020-21 MVP Jokic and 2016-17 MVP Russell Westbrook, every MVP and their team in the modern era (2000-present) has won at least 50 games. And they finished in the top 4 in their respective conference.
This is where a player like Donovan Mitchell found himself last season helping the Cavaliers to their best finish since LeBron James and company in 2017-18.