A Cavalier History of Cleveland vs. Golden State

On October 17, 1970, the San Francisco Warriors met the Cleveland Cavaliers. At this juncture, Cleveland owned a winless record of 0-3, while San Francisco split their first 2 games of the 1970 season.

Throughout their first meeting, both teams managed to keep it tight, but by time the 4th quarter buzzer rung, the San Francisco Warriors out-lasted Cleveland, 128-108. A 6-foot-8, 230-pound Jerry Lucas (former Ohio State Buckeye) led San Francisco with 30 points – of which nearly ½ came off the charity strip (14-15 FTM/FTA).

Since October 1970, tonight will mark their 106th meeting.

Interestingly, Cleveland manages to lose no more than 6 straight versus Golden State. In fact, a 6-game losing streak for the Cavs happened 3 times. The last time a 6-game skid ended was December 29, 2013.

Of the last 10 meetings, the victor celebrated a double-digit output 8 times.

They have reached overtime 8 times and of those 8, only 1 stretched into 2 OTs (CLE 126 GSW 122). On that day, November 12, 1992, Golden State was contained to an 18-point 4th quarter regardless of its 63-point first half. Two Cavaliers, Mark Price and Hot Rod Williams, scored 21 apiece. On the other courtside, Tim Hardaway recorded a double-double in points and assists (35 and 15, respectively).

Of the 18 match-ups scheduled on a Thursday in their histories together, Cleveland owns a W-L record of 10-8. Over the span of Thursday meetings, each team comfortably averages over 100 points.

The last Thursday they met fell on February 26, 2015 (CLE 110 – GSW 99). In that game, the Splash Brothers went 6-for-14 from 3-point range as LeBron James (42 pts, 11 rebounds) and Kyrie Irving tag teamed to shower the Golden State defense with a combined 66 points.

Cleveland Cavaliers 2015 Splits:
Thursday Averages: PT – 102.9
AST – 19.1
REB – 41.5
FG % – 35.2 (lowest % during the week)

Golden State Warriors 2015 Splits:
Thursday Averages: PT – 105.9
AST – 29.3
REB – 46
FG % – 42.9 (highest % during the week)

Under the helm of Arizona Wildcats alum Steve Kerr, the Warriors 2015 NBA campaign has surrendered the hearts of many since its 16-game winning streak at the beginning of this season. Octagon Sports-represented Stephen Curry received an accolade regarding his regular season achievements, including 1,900 points and 619 assists (and let’s not forget 646 3PT-A). Washington State graduate Klay Thompson has also finely contributed 239-made long range shots and ranks 2nd on the team in season points.

Cleveland has a different story to tell. Marked by a sluggish start to the season, the trifecta that is Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James eventually caught fire. And although bipolar in nature in the organization’s first 40 games, the Cavaliers rebounded and emulsified their inclusion in the post-season discussion.

If-Then Statements:
…if Cleveland wins the NBA Finals, then it’d be the first title for the organization since its inaugural 1970 season.
…if Golden State wins the NBA Finals, then it’d be the first title since a 4-0 series sweep of the Washington Bullets during the 1974-75 finals under Al Attles.

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports

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