The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in the playoffs and hope to write a new story they can add to the franchise’s history of postseason success.

The 2023 NBA playoffs will be the Cavs’ first since 1998 without LeBron James in their lineup. Five years after James’ departure for Los Angeles, Cleveland has finally rebuilt itself with a challenging roster that looks ready to make a run in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

With the 2023 playoffs right around the corner, let’s take a look back at some of the most dramatic and impactful playoff series in Cleveland Cavaliers history, including the 2016 NBA playoff matchups and the team’s debut appearance in 1976.

Are the Cavs in the playoffs?

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2023 playoff journey begins with an enticing first-round series against the New York Knicks. The Cavs finished fourth in the Eastern Conference after a strong year, earning their first postseason appearance since 2018, and they have the home-court advantage for their series against the Knicks.

Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff History

The Cavs’ playoff matchup with the Knicks marks the first time since 1998 that Cleveland has made the playoffs without LeBron James. LeBron helped the Cavs to nine playoff-worthy seasons during his two stints with the team, including the team’s 2016 championship year.

The first Cavs playoff game came in the 1975-76 season, which was only the sixth in Cleveland franchise history. That breakthrough team was led by the likes of legendary Cavaliers Campy Russell and Bingo Smith. Including this season, Cleveland has qualified for a total of 23 postseason appearances over its 53-year history.

Ranking the Top 10 Greatest Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff series of all time

10. 2010 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Cavaliers vs Bulls

Series Result: Cleveland wins best-of-7 in five games

Led by LeBron James, the Cavs finished the 2009-10 regular season 61-21, boasting the best record in the NBA. LeBron was named the league MVP, and the Cavs headed into their first-round matchup against the Chicago Bulls with a wealth of momentum.

LeBron was magnificent in the series -- averaging 31.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. Cleveland seized control of the series when it won Game 4 in Chicago to go ahead 3-1. The Cavs returned home and won the series-clinching Game 5.

9. 1992 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Cavaliers vs Nets

Series Result: Cleveland wins best-of-5 in four games 

After first reaching the playoffs in 1976, the Cavaliers had made six other postseason trips prior to their 1992 matchup with the Nets. Unfortunately, they lost in the first round in all six of those series -- a miserable drought for a franchise that became desperate for a postseason series win.

In 1992, Cleveland broke its cold streak and defeated the New Jersey Nets behind inspired performances from Brad Daugherty and Mark Price. Both players averaged more than 20 points per game in the series. Cavaliers power forward Hot Rod Williams came off the bench and led the team in scoring with an inspired 20 points in the series-ending Game 4 victory, and the Cavs advanced to a matchup with the Boston Celtics.

8. 2015 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Cavaliers vs Celtics

Series Result: Cleveland sweeps best-of-7 series 4-0

The NBA hadn’t seen the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs since LeBron James first departed the team in 2010. After spending several seasons in Miami and winning two championships with the Heat, LeBron became a free agent and announced his return to Cleveland.

LeBron's return to Cleveland was the story of the season, and the Cavs promptly built a roster that included some of the team’s best players in recent memory. LeBron, Kevin Love, and point guard Kyrie Irving formed the Cavaliers’ leading cast, and after a slow start, the team went on to finish 53-29 and return to the playoffs.

The opening series saw Cleveland go up against the rival Boston Celtics. LeBron averaged 27 points per game, and Kyrie had 23.3, as the Cavaliers promptly swept the Celtics in advancing to a second-round matchup against Chicago. The Cavs were back.

7. 2016 NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Cavaliers vs Raptors

Series Result: Cleveland wins best-of-7 series in six games

The Cavaliers opened the 2016 playoffs with back-to-back 4-0 sweeps of the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks. The 2015-16 Cleveland roster was one of the most talented in franchise history, and the team was pushing for its very first championship.

Cleveland faced its toughest test up to that point in the conference finals against a stubborn Toronto Raptors franchise led by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. The Raptors made it an entertaining series, tying it at 2-2 on the return trip to Toronto, before the Cavs took a 3-2 lead with a chance to wrap it up in Game 6.

LeBron and Kyrie turned in inspired performances with 33 and 30 points, respectively, in front of a loud Raptors crowd, and the Cavs won Game 6 with a 113-87 rout. That sent them to the 2016 NBA Finals, where they were ready for a rematch with the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

After falling behind the Warriors 3-1, the Cavs stormed back to win the series in seven games. Cleveland had its first championship, and LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love had cemented their legacy as three of the best Cleveland Cavaliers players of all time.

6. 2015 NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Cavaliers vs Hawks

Series results: Cleveland sweeps best-of-7 series 4-0

The Cavs’ 2015 Eastern Conference Finals series against the Hawks proved that Atlanta was no match for LeBron and Kyrie.

Cleveland entered the series after sweeping the Boston Celtics and sending the Chicago Bulls home in six games. Once they got to the conference finals, the Cavaliers quickly dispatched Atlanta to move on to the NBA Finals.

The Cavs won three of the series’ four games by double-digit margins, including an emphatic 118-88 victory in Game 4 to complete the sweep. In his first year back with the Cavs, LeBron finished Game 4 with 23 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists -- culminating in a triumphant return to the NBA Finals.

5. 1992 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Cavaliers vs Celtics

Series Results: Cleveland wins best-of-7 series in seven games

The Cavs’ 1992 playoff series against the Boston Celtics was one of the best in franchise history.

Boston’s Larry Bird was making his final push for the NBA championship, and the Cavs had made it through Round 1 for the first time since their inaugural playoff appearance. After six first-round exits over 16 years, Cleveland finally overcame the New Jersey Nets and was ready to face the Celtics.

The back-and-forth encounter ultimately resulted in a Game 7 at the Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. Cleveland had been beaten badly in Game 6, but the Cavs kept Larry Bird quiet in Game 7 and put on their own scoring show.

Brad Daugherty led the team with 28 points and an 81 percent shooting percentage, while Hot Rod Williams did his thing from the bench, contributing 20 points. The Cavs won 122-104 and reached the conference finals for the first time since 1976.

4. 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Cavaliers vs Celtics

Series Result: Cleveland wins best-of-7 series in seven games

The 2018 Cleveland Cavaliers’ playoff run featured multiple enticing series, kicked off by a seven-game thriller against the Indiana Pacers in the opening round.

After sweeping the Toronto Raptors in the second round, the Cavs would meet the Boston Celtics in the conference finals for the third time in franchise history.

The Cavaliers quickly fell behind, losing the first two games at Boston before winning their next two games at home to tie the series at 2-2.

LeBron James was in fine form during this series, delivering back-to-back clutch performances in Games 6 and 7. Down 3-2 and on the verge of elimination heading into Game 6, LeBron responded with 46 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds to keep Cleveland’s season alive. He caught fire again in Game 7 -- scoring 35 points and dominating defensively to help the Cavs nail down a fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.

3. 1976 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Cavaliers vs Bullets

Series Result: Cleveland wins best-of-7 series in seven games

Their 1976 series against the Washington Bullets was the Cavaliers’ first taste of the NBA playoffs since entering the league in 1970. Dubbed the “Miracle at Richfield”, the entire 1975-76 season exceeded expectations, as the Cavs finished the regular season 49-33 to win the NBA’s Central Division for the very first time.

Led by a core of Jim Chones, Campy Russell, and Bingo Smith, the Cavaliers headed for a playoff series against a Washington team led by Elvin Hayes.

The series went all the way to Game 7 after the teams ground out three victories apiece. The Cavs had missed an opportunity to seal the win in Game 6, which ended with an overtime defeat.

Cavs shooting guard Dick Snyder scored with seconds left on the clock in Game 7 to give Cleveland the series victory and its first appearance in the conference finals. The 1975-76 team is fondly remembered by Cavaliers fans and remains one of the great stories in the franchise’s history.

2. 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Cavaliers vs Pistons

Series Result: Cleveland wins best-of-7 series in six games

The 2007 playoffs offered Cleveland its chance for revenge against the Detroit Pistons, who had eliminated the Cavs in the semifinals just one year earlier.

Cleveland quickly fell behind and appeared to be risking the same fate they’d suffered in 2006, but the Cavs turned the series around in a hurry and ultimately took control.

With the series tied 2-2, LeBron James had a Game 5 for the ages – giving a fourth-quarter performance like nothing NBA fans had seen before. The Cavs star had scored 19 points through the first three quarters, and the fourth opened with the game tied 70-70. Then, with only seven minutes remaining on the clock, LeBron quite literally secured the win for Cleveland all by himself.

James scored every point for the Cavs over the final seven minutes of regulation and continued to score every point in both overtime periods to eventually claim the win and send his team into Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead. That was all the momentum the Cavs needed to eventually win the series 4-2 and reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

1. 2016 NBA Finals: Cavaliers vs Warriors

Series Result: Cleveland wins best-of-7 series in seven games

The 2016 NBA Finals series was among the most anticipated championship rounds in recent memory. There was good reason for such excitement, since the defending champion Golden State Warriors had enjoyed a record-breaking year that saw them go 73-9 during the regular season.

The Cavs were looking for some sweet revenge after having lost to the Warriors 4-2 in the 2015 NBA Finals, and LeBron James was playing some of the very best basketball of his career. Cleveland’s starting lineup was led by LeBron and Kyrie Irving, and it featured role players such as J.R. Smith, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson, who had all contributed to the playoff push.

This was Lebron’s sixth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, and the Cavs had swept both the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks before beating the Toronto Raptors in six games to get there.

Each team was the No. 1 seed in its conference, but the Warriors earned home-court advantage on the strength of their outrageous regular-season record. Cleveland fell behind in a hurry – suffering two ugly losses on the road. The low point was a 110-77 beating in Game 2 that had some Cavaliers fans thinking the series was already over.

After winning Game 3, the Cavs dropped Game 4 at home – adding more doubt to the fans’ minds, since the Warriors needed just one more win to claim back-to-back titles.

What came next would be a first for any NBA franchise, as the Cavs battled their way back to 3-3 and forced a Game 7 at the Warriors’ Oracle Arena. The showdown was one of the most highly anticipated NBA games of the modern era, with two NBA juggernauts coming together for a winner-takes-all matchup.

Several iconic moments were part of that miraculous Game 7. These included LeBron’s block on Andre Iguodala with two minutes to play and Kyrie Irving’s clutch 3-pointer that is perhaps the most important bucket in Cleveland Cavaliers history. Irving’s shot gave the Cavs a 92-89 lead with less than a minute to go, and the Cavs held on to win their first championship in franchise history.

LeBron and Kyrie Irving dominated in the series, with James averaging 29.7 points in the finals and Kyrie adding another 27.1 while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. The Cavs were the champions after completing the first and only comeback from a 3-1 deficit in NBA Finals history.

Parameters for ranking

These Cleveland Cavaliers playoff series have been ranked based on the impact and importance they had within the Cavaliers organization. The 1976 series is one of the most memorable, since it was Cleveland’s postseason debut, while the 2016 run to the NBA Finals and comeback against the Golden State Warriors brought the NBA Championship to the city of Cleveland.

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