The 1987-88 Cleveland Cavaliers season marked a significant turning point for the franchise. Under head coach Lenny Wilkens, the team finished the regular season with a record of 42-40, earning a spot in the playoffs for the first time since the 1984-85 season. This was a notable improvement, considering the team had won only 31 games the previous year.
A key factor in the Cavaliers’ success was the acquisition of several talented players. The team made significant trades and draft picks, acquiring Ron Harper, Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and Larry Nance. These players formed a strong core that would be pivotal for the team’s future success. Brad Daugherty, in particular, stood out as a dominant force in the center position, averaging 18.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Despite their improvements, the Cavaliers faced a tough challenge in the playoffs, going up against the Chicago Bulls led by a young Michael Jordan. The series was competitive, with the Cavaliers pushing the Bulls to five games in the first round. However, they ultimately fell short, losing the series 3-2. This playoff appearance was just the beginning for the Cavaliers, as the young core and smart management decisions positioned the team for further success in subsequent seasons.
The 1987-88 season laid the groundwork for the Cavaliers’ future, demonstrating their potential and setting a new standard for the franchise moving forward.
- Regular Season Record: 42-40
- Playoff Result: Eastern Conference First Round: 2-3
Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats for 1987-88 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Brad Daugherty | 79 | 18.7 | 8.4 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 5 | 15.8 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Larry Nance | 27 | 16.2 | 7.9 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 5 | 16.8 | 7.2 | 3.6 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 0.0 |
| Mark Price | 80 | 16.0 | 2.3 | 6.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 48.6 | 5 | 21.0 | 3.6 | 7.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 41.7 |
| Ron Harper | 57 | 15.4 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 15.0 | 4 | 17.8 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Hot Rod Williams | 77 | 10.9 | 6.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 5 | 9.2 | 5.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Dell Curry | 79 | 10.0 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 34.6 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Mark West | 54 | 8.5 | 5.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Phil Hubbard | 78 | 8.4 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Kevin Johnson | 52 | 7.3 | 1.4 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 22.2 | |||||||
| Tyrone Corbin | 54 | 7.3 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Craig Ehlo | 79 | 7.1 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 34.4 | 5 | 8.8 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Mike Sanders | 24 | 6.8 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 5 | 12.8 | 5.0 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Chris Dudley | 55 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Johnny Rogers | 24 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Kent Benson | 2 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Kevin Henderson | 5 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Kannard Johnson | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1988 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. Chicago Bulls
In the 1988 NBA Playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Chicago Bulls in the first round, marking the beginning of one of the league's iconic rivalries. Despite a promising roster featuring Brad Daugherty and Mark Price, the Cavaliers struggled against the emerging dominance of Michael Jordan, ultimately falling to the Bulls in a fiercely contested five-game series. Jordan's legendary performance, including a decisive 39-point outburst in Game 5, underscored the Cavs' need to bolster their lineup to compete with the league's elite.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1988 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 104-93 | |
| May 01, 1988 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 106-101 | |
| May 03, 1988 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 110-102 | |
| May 05, 1988 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 97-91 | |
| May 08, 1988 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 107-101 |
Cleveland Cavaliers 1987-88 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1987-88 season for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 06, 1987 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 114-108 | |
| Nov 07, 1987 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 113-105 | |
| Nov 11, 1987 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 109-101 | |
| Nov 13, 1987 | @ Boston Celtics | L 128-114 | |
| Nov 14, 1987 | vs. Detroit Pistons | L 128-113 | |
| Nov 17, 1987 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 109-88 | |
| Nov 19, 1987 | vs. Houston Rockets | L 105-97 | |
| Nov 21, 1987 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 101-88 | |
| Nov 24, 1987 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 108-104 | |
| Nov 25, 1987 | vs. New York Knicks | L 104-101 | |
| Nov 28, 1987 | @ New York Knicks | L 105-93 | |
| Dec 02, 1987 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 104-102 | |
| Dec 04, 1987 | @ Indiana Pacers | W 108-90 | |
| Dec 05, 1987 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 97-95 | |
| Dec 08, 1987 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 107-96 | |
| Dec 09, 1987 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 113-112 | |
| Dec 11, 1987 | @ Sacramento Kings | W 115-113 | |
| Dec 13, 1987 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 90-89 | |
| Dec 15, 1987 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | W 106-93 | |
| Dec 17, 1987 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 111-100 | |
| Dec 18, 1987 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 103-94 | |
| Dec 20, 1987 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 127-116 | |
| Dec 22, 1987 | @ Washington Bullets | W 106-102 | |
| Dec 23, 1987 | vs. Utah Jazz | L 91-83 | |
| Dec 26, 1987 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 120-117 | |
| Dec 27, 1987 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 101-83 | |
| Dec 30, 1987 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | L 117-110 | |
| Jan 02, 1988 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 120-107 | |
| Jan 04, 1988 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 122-101 | |
| Jan 06, 1988 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | W 116-100 | |
| Jan 08, 1988 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 101-97 | |
| Jan 09, 1988 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 126-110 | |
| Jan 12, 1988 | vs. New York Knicks | W 119-111 | |
| Jan 14, 1988 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 91-88 | |
| Jan 15, 1988 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 97-93 | |
| Jan 17, 1988 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 111-93 | |
| Jan 21, 1988 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | L 101-93 | |
| Jan 23, 1988 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 119-100 | |
| Jan 25, 1988 | @ Utah Jazz | L 119-96 | |
| Jan 27, 1988 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 112-102 | |
| Jan 28, 1988 | @ Houston Rockets | W 109-85 | |
| Jan 30, 1988 | vs. Washington Bullets | W 128-126 | |
| Feb 01, 1988 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 94-83 | |
| Feb 03, 1988 | @ Washington Bullets | W 107-106 | |
| Feb 04, 1988 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 96-90 | |
| Feb 09, 1988 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 112-104 | |
| Feb 10, 1988 | vs. Washington Bullets | W 118-102 | |
| Feb 12, 1988 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 98-96 | |
| Feb 13, 1988 | @ New York Knicks | L 120-103 | |
| Feb 15, 1988 | vs. Sacramento Kings | W 104-95 | |
| Feb 17, 1988 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 115-107 | |
| Feb 18, 1988 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 88-83 | |
| Feb 21, 1988 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 113-111 | |
| Feb 24, 1988 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 93-89 | |
| Feb 25, 1988 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 109-103 | |
| Feb 27, 1988 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | L 97-96 | |
| Feb 29, 1988 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 107-94 | |
| Mar 02, 1988 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 99-81 | |
| Mar 06, 1988 | @ Boston Celtics | L 127-98 | |
| Mar 09, 1988 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 117-91 | |
| Mar 11, 1988 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 117-107 | |
| Mar 12, 1988 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 104-100 | |
| Mar 14, 1988 | @ New York Knicks | L 104-102 | |
| Mar 15, 1988 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 108-89 | |
| Mar 17, 1988 | vs. Detroit Pistons | L 102-99 | |
| Mar 19, 1988 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 101-100 | |
| Mar 23, 1988 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 105-96 | |
| Mar 25, 1988 | vs. Chicago Bulls | L 111-110 | |
| Mar 26, 1988 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 109-102 | |
| Mar 29, 1988 | vs. New York Knicks | W 108-103 | |
| Mar 30, 1988 | @ Washington Bullets | W 107-96 | |
| Apr 02, 1988 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 108-94 | |
| Apr 05, 1988 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 106-105 | |
| Apr 06, 1988 | vs. Washington Bullets | W 98-87 | |
| Apr 08, 1988 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 104-85 | |
| Apr 10, 1988 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 119-105 | |
| Apr 12, 1988 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 116-103 | |
| Apr 13, 1988 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 115-98 | |
| Apr 15, 1988 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 120-109 | |
| Apr 18, 1988 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 112-107 | |
| Apr 22, 1988 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 107-103 | |
| Apr 23, 1988 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 104-99 |