Cleveland Cavaliers #1 NBA Team in ESPN The Magazine’s 2009 Ultimate Standings

Our very own Cleveland Cavaliers were ranked the #1 team in the NBA and the #5 team in all pro sports in ESPN The Magazine’s 2009 Ultimate Standings, which measures how the 122 pro sports franchises (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) give back to their fans.

The Ultimate Standings, now in its seventh year, ranks each team based on eight categories: bang for the buck, fan relations, ownership, affordability, stadium experience, players, coaching and title track. The Los Angeles Angels (MLB) grabbed the #1 spot overall.

Click here for more information on the Ultimate Standings categories or to read the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Ultimate Standings profile.

Congratulations Cavs! And THANK YOU CAVS FANS!

It’s Official! Shaquille O’Neal Becomes a Cleveland Cavalier

It’s been the source of rumor in the sports world for weeks now. Would 15-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal join LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers? And today, we finally have our answer. The Cavs have officially acquired center Shaquille O’Neal from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for forward/center Ben Wallace, guard/forward Sasha Pavlovic, Cleveland’s second round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and cash considerations, General Manager Danny Ferry announced today.

“It is a really unique and rare opportunity to bring in a player of Shaq’s caliber. We are excited to see how his presence, experience and play positively impacts our team,” Ferry said. “We truly appreciate all that Ben and Sasha gave to this team and community in their time here. They were good teammates and we wish them nothing but success.”

I’m sure I speak for a lot of Cavs fans when I say, welcome to the family Shaq!

Click here for more on Shaq joining the Cavs.

In the News: LeBron James Is Having the Best Week Ever

As the second round of the NBA playoffs kicked off this week with the Cleveland Cavaliers leading the series over the Atlanta Hawks 1-0, LeBron James is having the “best week ever.”

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was named the 2008-09 NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced Monday. In addition to the biggest honor the NBA can bestow upon a single player, James was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team on Wednesday.

James became the first Cavalier in franchise history to win the MVP award and the second Cavalier to earn first team honors.

James won the MVP trophy, known as the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, by quite a margin too, receiving a total of 1,172 points, including 109 first-place votes out of a possible 121 from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

To earn a spot on the All-Defensive First Team, James received 47 votes, the third-most overall, including 22 first-place votes. The voting panel consisted of the NBA’s 30 head coaches. James was joined on the first team by 2009 Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets and Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics.

This week’s all yours LeBron. Congratulations from the “family!”

LeBron James and the Cavs face the Atlanta Hawks tonight at Quicken Loans Arena in the second round of the playoffs. They currently lead the series 1-0.

LeBron James’ Season Highlights

• Led the Cavaliers to an NBA and franchise-best 66-16 (.805) record and became just the 12th team in NBA history to win 66 or more games in a season. Also, helped Cleveland post a 39-2 (.951) record at The Q, which tied for the second-best home record in league history, and a 27-14 (.659) road record, which tied for the second-best road record in the league this season.

• Helped Cleveland improve its win total by 21 games from 2007-08 (45-37), tying the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers in NBA history for the second-largest improvement in wins of all teams that won at least 45 games in the previous season.

• Led Cleveland to 16 victories during March, tying the NBA all-time record for most victories in any month. Finished March with 479 points, 152 rebounds and 143 assists. The only other player in NBA history to reach each of those totals in one month is Oscar Robertson, who did it in eight separate months, most recently in January 1965.

• Became just the second player in NBA history to post five consecutive seasons of at least 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists (Oscar Robertson)

• Is the only player to average at least 27.0 points in each of the past five seasons

• Became the youngest player in NBA history to score 11,000 points (23 years, 324 days) and 12,000 points (24 years, 35 days) during the season

• Became the youngest (23 years, 308 days) and fastest (395 games) player to reach the following totals: 10,000 points, 2,500 rebounds, 2,500 assists, 700 steals and 300 blocks

• Scored 41 points in three of the Cavs first eight games (41 vs. Chi on Nov. 5th and 8th and 41 vs. Milwaukee on Nov. 11th), becoming the first player since Michael Jordan in 1991 to score 40-or-more in at least three of a team’s first eight games of a season

• With 38 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and four steals versus Boston on Jan. 9, James became the first person to reach those numbers in a game since David Robinson on March 19, 1994

• Totaled 23 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists and three blocks versus Sacramento on Jan. 27th, posting at least those numbers in a game since Larry Bird in 1987

• Tallied 33 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists on Jan. 24th at Utah, becoming the first player to record at least those numbers in a non-overtime game since Kevin Garnett in 2004

• Made a career-high eight three-pointers on 11 attempts on his way to a season-best 55 points at Milwaukee on Feb. 20

• Became only the 12th player in NBA history to have three consecutive triple-doubles (March 7th, 10th and 12th).

• Posted 43 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and a block versus Orlando on March 17th, joining Larry Bird in 1992 as the only players to record at least those numbers in a game.

• Is the only active player in the NBA to have five consecutive seasons with at least 2,000 points and became just the ninth in NBA history, joining legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Gervin, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlin, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, Alex English and Karl Malone all-time.

• With his fourth season of at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, James became the 2nd player in NBA history (Oscar Robertson) to post at least those numbers in four seasons or more.

LeBron James Wins NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award
LeBron James Named to NBA All-Defensive First Team
Video: LBJ’s Top 10 Plays

In the News: Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown Named NBA’s Coach of the Year

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot to be proud of this season. They finished with the best record in the NBA and the best record in Cavaliers history by going 66-16. They became only the 12th team in NBA history to win at least 66 games in a season. They established a new franchise record for home court wins by going 39-2 at The Q. And today, the Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown was named the winner of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2008-09 season.

Brown received a total of 355 points, including 55 first-place votes out of a possible 122, from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.

Brown becomes only the second coach in Cavaliers franchise history to receive the award.

“Mike Brown is one of these rare people that has nearly every tool in his tool box. He is smart, hard working, and selfless. He is curious and hungry to learn. He is philosophically driven and derives his decision making from his strong philosophy,” said Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert.

“Mike is a man of character and integrity. He is a natural leader and has a ‘magnetic charisma’ which automatically attracts people to him and his message. He has stuck to his ‘defense first’ strategy when it would have been much easier not to. As a human being, Mike treats everyone with respect no matter who they are or where they come from.”

The Cavs face the Detroit Pistons tomorrow at Quicken Loans Arena in the first round of the playoffs. They currently lead the series 1-0.

Congratulations Coach Brown!