The 2024 NBA Playoffs are here, and BetOhio, as part of our Ohio sports betting coverage, wanted to see how the Cleveland Cavaliers match up against the past NBA champions. Using Sports-Reference.com, BetOhio investigated the past 10 NBA champions (in full season) to see what the average win-loss percentage and average points scored during the season was. Based on this, this season’s Cleveland Cavaliers have scored more points per game, but have not won as many regular-season games as past champions.
We only factored in years with 82 regular-season games, removing the 2020-21, 2019-20, and 2011-12 seasons from the data.
2023-24 Cavaliers Performance
Another successful season along the banks of the Cuyahoga River has put the Cleveland Cavaliers in prime position to reach the second round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time in the Post-LeBron James era.
Already up 1-0 in their first round series against the Orlando Magic after going 48-34 in the regular season, coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s Cavs hope to take a commanding series lead when they host Orlando on Monday night at 7 p.m. Eastern. Cleveland defeated the Magic 97-83 on Saturday in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference postseason series.
Oddsmakers from Bet365 Sportsbook Ohio have the Cavs at +4000 to win the title during the 2024 NBA Playoffs, as of Monday afternoon. That ranks behind the Boston Celtics (+125), Denver Nuggets (+275), Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder (+1200 each), Milwaukee Bucks (+1400), Minnesota Timberwolves (+1800), Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks (+2000 each), Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns (+2500 each) and the Los Angeles Lakers (+3300).
Average NBA Champion’s Performance
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Since James left Cleveland for the second time in 2018, the Cavs have gone .500 or better three times, in each of the past three seasons. But Cleveland has yet to win a playoff series during that time, falling to the New York Knicks in five games last year.
Now, Bickerstaff’s bunch have a 1-0 series lead at their backs with a shot at proving their .585 win percentage during the sport’s regular season was no fluke. Team leaders like Jarrett Allen (who had a team-high 10.7 win shares this season), Donovan Mitchell (6.4 WS in 55 games) and Evan Mobley (5.5 WS in 50 games) are ready to get Cleveland back into the East semifinals for the first time since the franchise lost in the NBA Finals in 2018.
As you can see from the charts above, the Cavs are pacing ahead of the average points per game scored by the past 10 NBA champions (from seasons that went a full 82 games). However, those 10 champs had a .729 average winning percentage, way ahead of Cleveland’s .585 this season. The Cavs seek to become the first team since the 1995 Houston Rockets to win an NBA title after earning fewer than 50 regular-season victories in an 82-game season.
This year’s Cavs are the No. 4 seed in the East and, with a 1-0 series lead, are -400 favorites at Caesars Sportsbook Ohio to eliminate Orlando in this series.
10 Years of NBA Champions’ Records
Since 2010, the teams with the lowest regular-season winning percentage to earn the Larry O’Brien trophy were the Golden State Warriors in 2022 and the Denver Nuggets in 2023. Both teams won it all after going 53-29 (a .646 winning percentage) in 82 regular-season games.
Conversely, the best title-winner since 2010 was Golden State in 2014-15 and 2016-17, when the franchise finished the regular season at 67-15 (.817) both times. That beating out James’ Miami Heat team in 2012-13, which went 66-16 (.805) before winning a title.
This year, Cleveland will look to knock off the last two NBA champs as the “worst” title winner in recent league history, which would be a Cavaliers playoffs run to remember in northern Ohio.
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USA Today photo by David Richard
