19 Cleveland

The 2018–19 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 49th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Cavaliers entered the season as runners-up in the 2018 NBA Finals, in which they were swept by the Golden State Warriors in four games, the first Finals sweep since 2007, in which the Cavs were also swept, by the San Antonio Spurs.[1]

LeBron James was not on the roster for the first time since 2013–14, as he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason as a free agent.[2]

On October 28, 2018, the Cavaliers fired Tyronn Lue after a 0–6 start (the worst start for a team coming off the NBA Finals) and replaced him on the interim basis with his assistant Larry Drew, who would become permanent coach on November 5.[3]

Without LeBron James, as with the 2010–11 season (James' first departure from Cleveland), the Cavaliers struggled to find a solid identity, ranking in the bottom 10 in all of points per game, opponent points per game, pace, offensive rating, and defensive rating.[4] They finished at 19–63, the 3rd worst record in the league (second worst in the Eastern Conference) and their worst season since 2010-11 (coincidentally, they finished with the same record as they did the first season after LeBron James' first departure from Cleveland). This is also the Cavs' first losing season since the 2013–14 season. They are, however, one of three teams that have equal odds for the top three draft picks in the upcoming 2019 NBA draft due to reformed lottery rules implemented earlier this season.