Chris Fedor lists his Top 11 moments from an impressive season that was capped with a Finals trip.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' season didn't finish with the championship, but throughout the wild and at-times emotional journey, the team delivered memorable moments, starting with LeBron James' homecoming.
With a mantra of "All In," the city rallied behind a team that turned into underdogs after a few unfortunate injuries. Getting within two victories of an NBA title should leave the Cavs with positive feelings heading into the off-season.
Here are the top 11 moments of the season:
No. 11
March 25, 2015 - At Memphis: Grindhouse beatdown
A few days before the Cavs were preparing for their final true road test in Memphis, Kevin Love went on the Dan Patrick Show and gave his vote for MVP. Instead of picking his teammate, James, who was leading a charge up the Eastern Conference standings, Love chose his old college buddy, Russell Westbrook, who was putting up historic numbers.
Love's first season in Cleveland was dotted with missteps and, whether he was correct or not in his declaration, his choice was another example.
But there weren't any hard feelings as the Cavs pounded the physical and rugged Grizzlies, the kind of team that had given the Cavaliers trouble during the season. Beating Memphis, 111-89, showed a team capable of winning games with toughness as opposed to pizzazz.
That was the moment the Cavs looked capable of making a deep postseason run.
No. 10
October 31, 2014 - At Chicago: First win
After somehow losing to the lottery-bound Knicks on Opening Night, the Cavs bounced back nicely. Before the season even started, Chicago was expected to be Cleveland's biggest roadblock to an NBA Finals appearance and while it was only one win, it helped the Cavs avoid their first losing streak.
James scored 36 points, Derrick Rose hurt his ankle, Kyrie Irving asked Mike Miller if the atmosphere was similar to the playoffs and the Cavs won in overtime, 114-108.
No. 9
February 26, 2015 - Golden State Warriors: National TV statement
Going into the primetime showdown, the conversation centered on the Golden State Warriors, the team with the best record in the NBA and Stephen Curry, the apparent frontrunner for the MVP. But the Cavs were in the middle of a flurry during the second half of the season and James was healthy again, unlike the first meeting between the two title contenders.
With the spotlight shining, James likely heard the noise as well and had the look of a player wanting to make a statement.
He did.
Aggressive from the opening tip, James scored a season-high 42 points on 15-of-25 shooting and led his team to a 110-99 win. The other MVP candidate, Curry, scored a meager 18 points on 5-of-17 shooting.
No. 8
January 5, 2015 - At Philadelphia: Dion Waiters traded
The Cavs, a team with lofty expectations before the season started, were 19-15. One day earlier, GM David Griffin addressed the media, hoping to quell the swirling rumors.
A ho-hum Monday night in Philly turned into one of the season's biggest moments.
With James resting his injuries and Kyrie Irving missing the game as well, Waiters was primed for a big performance in front of family and friends. It never materialized.
Shortly before tipoff, he was taken out of the starting lineup because of a trade. The rumors swirled of a three-team blockbuster between Cleveland, New York and Oklahoma City, which brought J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavaliers in the first of two shrewd trades that helped the Cavaliers turn the season around.
No. 7
January 28, 2015 - Portland Trail Blazers: No LeBron, No problem
With James watching from the bench because of a sprained right wrist and Love struggling, the night belonged to Irving.
The dazzling young point guard scored an arena-record 55 points, including 24 of the team's final 28.
When the score was tied at 94 late in the fourth quarter, Irving put on a dribbling display before stepping into another three-pointer. Bang.
It was his team-record 11th of the night, one that sent James running onto the floor to greet his teammate with an emotional chest bump.
Two free throws later and the Cavs had a 99-94 win. James had singled out Irving in his letter announcing a return to Cleveland and seeing Irving carry the team to a victory on a night when James was sidelined was a moment of validation.
No. 6
January 15, 2015 - At Los Angeles: Going bowling
In the midst of a west coast roadtrip, the Cavaliers hopped on a bus, heading for practice in Los Angeles. That's what they thought anyway.
Instead, the bus took a detour and pulled into a bowling alley. Head coach David Blatt, who no doubt felt the sizzling heat, felt the team needed to get away from basketball after losing a sixth straight game in Phoenix.
That trip helped the Cavs loosen up and escape the drama that had surrounded them since the off-season.
More importantly, the team beat the Lakers, snapping its season-long, six-game losing streak and reaching the .500 mark again. The Cavs won the next game against the Clippers as well and 10 more after, starting a furious sprint in the second half of the season.
No. 5
June 7, 2015 - At Golden State: Game 2 of NBA Finals
In the first game of the NBA Finals, the Cavs gave the Warriors all they could handle before running out of steam in overtime. The second game of the series also improbably went into overtime. But this time the result was different, with the shorthanded Cavs escaping with a 95-93 win.
James finished with a triple-double, scoring 39 points to go with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates after end of the overtime period of Game 2 in Oakland, Sunday, June 7. The Cavaliers won 95-93 in overtime.Ben Margot, Associated Press
It was Matthew Dellavedova, however, whose legend continued to grow.
Starting in place of the injured Irving, the player known as "Delly" grabbed an offensive rebound late, was fouled and made two go-ahead free throws. He also forced Curry into an airball on the defensive end, capping a disastrous shooting night from Golden State's MVP and earning Dellavedova national praise.
It wasn't just one win in the Finals. Many had written the Cavs off after Irving's knee injury and as soon as the final buzzer sounded, James grabbed the basketball, spiked it off the Oracle Arena hardwood and let the emotions pour out.
No. 4
May 26, 2015 - Atlanta Hawks: Game 4 of Eastern Conference finals
The Cavs were labeled as "underdogs" heading into the conference finals, a notion that James scoffed at.
He let his play do the talking. Averaging a near triple-double, James led the Cavs to a sweep against Atlanta -- a team that won 60 wins in the regular season and earned the East's top seed.
Behind suffocating defense, James' overpowering offense and Irving's return after missing games two and three, the clinching win turned into an early celebration. The Cavs won by 30 points, 118-88, leading to the second Finals trip in franchise history.
No. 3
March 12, 2015 - At San Antonio: Kyrie Irving's flurry
The last time James was in San Antonio, he was forced to watch helplessly as his Miami empire got dismantled. The loss in the NBA Finals led to him searching for a exit strategy. It led him back to Cleveland, joining promising youngster Irving.
With three minutes remaining, and the Spurs extending their lead to 10 points, it appeared it would be another loss.
The Cavs, however, kept fighting. The Spurs led by six with 33.9 seconds left. That's when James' new hand-picked partner delivered.
Irving buried a three-pointer. Then he hit another one at the buzzer to send the game into OT. He scored the final nine points of regulation and 11 of the 18 in overtime. Irving finished with 57 points on 20-of-32 from the field, including 7-of-7 from three-point range on a Gregg Popovich-led team.
That doesn't happen, especially in San Antonio. But it did on March 12, and James left the court in awe. Irving had his signature moment on an enormous stage. And James had his new partner, with Irving stepping into Dwyane Wade's old role.
"The kid is special, we all know it, we all see it," James said. "For him to go out and put on a performance like he did tonight was incredible."
No. 2
October 30, 2014 - Home opener: LeBron James' homecoming
The scoreboard showed a disappointing 95-90 loss to the woeful Knicks. The box score revealed a dreadful performance from James, who scored 17 points and committed eight turnovers.
But none of that mattered. Because James was back in a Cavaliers uniform after once turning his back on the city of Cleveland.
October 30, 2014 was James' night. It was always going to be his night. It was "one of the biggest sporting events ever," which started with his goosebump-inducing pregame introduction.
No. 1
May 10, 2015 - At Chicago: Game 4 of Eastern Conference semifinals
Why were fans so heartbroken when James left Cleveland in the summer of 2010? Why did some cry when James announced his return to Cleveland in the summer? Why was owner Dan Gilbert willing to whatever it took to bring James back?
Because of moments like Game 4 against Chicago.
The officials missed a near-blunder from Blatt when the coach tried calling timeout with none remaining. Then Blatt tried to redeem himself by drawing up a play. But James scratched it. He called his own number, hit a game-winning shot and silenced the Chicago crowd while saving the Cavs.
"I've made big shots before in the postseason. Obviously this was a big one for our team," James said. "You don't want to go down 3-1 to anyone. I was able to regain home court with the shot. For me, I just don't like letting my teammates down."
It looked as if that moment would be the one to lead the Cavs to a title, but the Warriors proved to be too deep and talented in the Finals.