1971–72 Cleveland Cavaliers season explained

Team:	Cleveland Cavaliers
End Year:	1972
Wins:	23
Losses:	59
Division:	Central
Division Place:	4
Conf Place:	7
Coach:	Bill Fitch
Arena:	Cleveland Arena
Television:	WEWS-TV
Radio:	WERE
Playoffs:	Did not qualify
Bbr Team:	CLE

The 1971–72 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the second season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 23–59 record, finishing last in the Central Division and 7th in the Eastern Conference. Rookie top pick Austin Carr was named to the All-Rookie team and John Johnson and Butch Beard were named All-Stars.

Offseason

Trades

August 13: Forward Greg Howard obtained from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for undisclosed future draft choices and an undisclosed amount of cash.

Draft picks

See main article: 1971 NBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Club team
1	1	Austin Carr	SG/SF		Notre Dame
2	18	Steve Patterson	C		UCLA
2	35	Willie Long	PF/C		New Mexico

• Note: This table only lists players drafted through the second round.

Regular season

Record vs. opponents

1971–72 NBA Records
width=100	Team	ATL	BAL	BOS	BUF	CHI	CIN	CLE	DET	GSW	HOU	LAL	MIL	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SEA
Atlanta	–	2–4	0–4	4–2	0–5	3–3	4–2	3–2	3–2	1–4	0–5	2–3	3–1	3–3	3–2	4–0	1–4
Baltimore	4–2	–	2–2	3–3	1–4	4–2	1–5	3–2	1–4	3–2	1–4	0–5	2–4	4–0	4–1	3–1	2–3
Boston	4–0	2–2	–	6–0	3–2	4–2	5–1	5–0	2–3	5–0	1–4	2–3	3–3	6–0	2–3	4–0	2–3
Buffalo	2–4	3–3	0–6	–	1–3	3–3	4–2	2–4	1–3	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–5	3–3	0–4	2–4	0–4
Chicago	5–0	4–1	2–3	3–1	–	3–1	4–0	5–1	3–3	5–1	1–3	2–4	3–2	4–1	5–1	6–0	2–3
Cincinnati	3–3	2–4	2–4	3–3	1–3	–	6–2	2–3	2–3	0–4	1–4	0–5	2–2	2–2	2–3	2–2	0–5
Cleveland	2–4	5–1	1–5	2–4	0–4	2–6	–	1–3	0–4	2–2	1–3	0–4	1–5	2–4	0–4	4–2	0–4
Detroit	2–3	2–3	0–5	4–2	1–5	3–2	3–1	–	0–5	3–3	1–4	1–5	1–4	1–4	2–4	2–2	0–4
Golden State	2–3	4–1	3–2	3–1	3–3	3–2	4–0	5–0	–	5–1	1–5	2–2	2–3	4–1	2–3	4–2	4–2
Houston	4–1	2–3	0–5	4–0	1–5	4–0	2–2	3–3	1–5	–	1–5	0–5	0–5	4–1	1–3	4–2	3–3
Los Angeles	5–0	4–1	4–1	4–0	3–1	4–1	3–1	4–1	5–1	5–1	–	4–1	4–1	5–0	4–2	6–0	5–1
Milwaukee	3–2	5–0	3–2	4–0	4–2	5–0	4–0	5–1	2–2	5–0	1–4	–	2–3	4–1	4–2	6–0	6–0
New York	1–3	4–2	3–3	5–1	2–3	2–2	5–1	4–1	3–2	5–0	1–4	3–2	–	3–3	1–4	3–1	3–2
Philadelphia	3–3	0–4	0–6	3–3	1–4	2–2	4–2	4–1	1–4	1–4	0–5	1–4	3–3	–	1–4	2–2	4–1
Phoenix	2–3	1–4	3–2	4–0	1–5	3–2	4–0	4–2	3–2	3–1	2–4	2–4	4–1	4–1	–	6–0	3–2
Portland	0–4	1–3	0–4	4–2	0–6	2–2	2–4	2–2	2–4	2–4	0–6	0–6	1–3	2–2	0–6	–	0–6
Seattle	4–1	3–2	3–2	4–0	3–2	5–0	4–0	4–0	2–4	3–3	1–5	0–6	2–3	1–4	2–3	6–0	—

Game log

October

Record: 2–8 ; Home: 0–6 ; Road: 1–2 ; Neutral: 1–0

	Date	H/A/N	Opponent	W/L	Score	Record
1	October 15	H		L	109–111 (OT)	0–1
2	October 16	A		W	93–89	1–1
3	October 17	H		L	120–121 (OT)	1–2
4	October 19	A		L	82–116	1–3
5	October 20	H		L	98–115	1–4
6	October 23	N		W	109–101	2–4	at College Park, Maryland
7	October 24	H		L	93–111	2–5
8	October 27	A		L	106–120	2–6
9	October 29	H		L	97–98	2–7
10	October 31	H		L	102–118	2–8

November

Record: 6–6 ; Home: 4–2 ; Road: 2–4

	Date	H/A/N	Opponent	W/L	Score	Record
11	November 5	H		L	87–107	2–9
12	November 7	H		W	120–99	3–9
13	November 11	A		L	91–110	3–10
14	November 12	A		W	106–104	4–10
15	November 14	A		L	105–119	4–11
16	November 16	A		L	90–108	4–12
17	November 19	A		L	105–118	4–13
18	November 21	H		L	105–128	4–14
19	November 23	H		W	104–102	5–14
20	November 26	H		W	128–114	6–14
21	November 27	A		W	103–95	7–14
22	November 28	H		W	124–120	8–14

December

Record: 7–10 ; Home: 5–4 ; Road: 1–6 ; Neutral: 1–0

	Date	H/A/N	Opponent	W/L	Score	Record
23	December 1	H		W	116–106	9–14
24	December 3	A		L	90–91	9–15
25	December 5	H		L	91–99	9–16
26	December 7	A		L	99–115	9–17
27	December 8	A		L	107–126	9–18
28	December 10	H		W	112–111	10–18
29	December 11	A		L	95–103	10–19
30	December 12	H		L	92–103	10–20
31	December 14	A		W	88–85	11–20
32	December 17	H		L	109–115	11–21
33	December 18	A		L	84–104	11–22
34	December 19	H		L	101–119	11–23
35	December 22	A		L	94–104	11–24
36	December 23	H		W	115–110	12–24
37	December 26	H		W	108–102	13–24
38	December 28	H		W	112–111	14–24
39	December 29	N		W	103–102	15–24	at Hershey, Pennsylvania

January

Record: 1–13 ; Home: 0–5 ; Road: 1–6 ; Neutral: 0–2

	Date	H/A/N	Opponent	W/L	Score	Record
40	January 2	H		L	119–148	15–25
41	January 5	H		L	103–113	15–26
42	January 7	A		L	111–125	15–27
43	January 8	A		L	102–125	15–28
44	January 11	N		L	92–101	15–29	at Oakland, California
45	January 14	A		L	107–117	15–30
46	January 15	A		L	109–112	15–31
47	January 16	N		L	108–128	15–32	at Las Cruces, New Mexico
48	January 21	A		L	91–120	15–33
49	January 22	A		L	96–113	15–34
50	January 25	H		L	111–117	15–35
51	January 26	A		W	112–108	16–35
52	January 29	H		L	118–120	16–36
53	January 30	H		L	98–99	16–37

February

Record: 4–12 ; Home: 3–6 ; Road: 1–6

	Date	H/A/N	Opponent	W/L	Score	Record
54	February 1	A		W	104–99	17–37
55	February 2	A		L	108–133	17–38
56	February 4	H		L	112–118	17–39
57	February 5	A		L	117–120	17–40
58	February 6	H		L	108–121	17–41
59	February 8	A		L	90–114	17–42
60	February 9	H		L	121–126	17–43
61	February 12	A		L	91–106	17–44
62	February 13	H		L	121–136	17–45
63	February 16	A		L	116–121	17–46
64	February 18	H		W	133–109	18–46
65	February 19	A		L	92–112	18–47
66	February 20	H		W	111–109	19–47
67	February 23	H		L	111–113	19–48
68	February 25	H		W	113–104	20–48
69	February 27	H		L	125–127	20–49

March

Record: 3–10 ; Home: 1–5 ; Road: 2–4 ; Neutral: 0–1

	Date	H/A/N	Opponent	W/L	Score	Record
70	March 1	A		L	105–115	20–50
71	March 4	A		W	130–123	21–50
72	March 7	N		L	112–119	21–51	at Oakland
73	March 10	A		L	98–132	21–52
74	March 12	A		L	114–135	21–53
75	March 14	A		W	127–118 (OT)	22–53
76	March 16	H		L	101–105	22–54
77	March 18	H		L	91–109	22–55
78	March 19	H		L	105–115	22–56
79	March 22	H		W	124–120	23–56
80	March 24	H		L	119–127	23–57
81	March 25	A		L	83–98	23–58
82	March 26	H		L	122–135	23–59

|-style="background:#fcc;"| 9 || October 29, 1971 || Atlanta| L 97–98|||| Cleveland Arena
3,442| 2–7|-style="background:#cfc;"| 21 || November 27, 1971 || @ Atlanta| W 103–95|||| Alexander Memorial Coliseum
5,101| 7–14|-style="background:#cfc;"| 36 || December 23, 1971 || Atlanta| W 115–110|||| Cleveland Arena
4,562| 12–24|-style="background:#fcc;"| 57 || February 5, 1972 || @ Atlanta| L 117–120|||| Alexander Memorial Coliseum
6,281| 17–40|-style="background:#fcc;"| 74 || March 12, 1972 || @ Atlanta| L 114–135|||| Alexander Memorial Coliseum
4,915| 21–53|-style="background:#fcc;"| 78 || March 19, 1972 || Atlanta| L 105–115|||| Cleveland Arena
8,049| 22–56

Awards and honors

• Austin Carr, NBA All-Rookie Team First Team

References

• Cleveland Cavaliers on Database Basketball
• Cleveland Cavaliers on Basketball Reference