NBA History: The best era for each of the 30 franchises

Cleveland Cavaliers: 2014-18

Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers were joyous like no other when LeBron James came home as a free agent in 2014. Since he first left four years prior, the Cavs had three sub-30 win campaigns and were building from the ground up.

Three No. 1 overall picks later, Cleveland had the supporting talent to compete at LeBron’s standard. Kyrie Irving was already a two-time All-Star and scoring maestro and the eventual trade for sweet-shooting big-man Kevin Love completed a talented trio in The Land.

The impact of the influx of talent in Cleveland wasn’t that difficult to notice. After years spent in the cellars of the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers would appear in four consecutive Finals, no run more notable than in 2016.

Despite falling down 3-1 to the reigning champion Golden State Warriors, the Cavs mounted the greatest comeback in NBA history to end a curse that had haunted northeast Ohio for roughly half a century.

James was historic, leading both squads in all five major statistical categories — a first in the Finals. He took home his third Finals MVP, making good on a promise that officially stamped his spot among the greatest to ever play the game.

Injuries kept Cleveland from winning a title in 2015. Kevin Durant’s overwhelming presence in the Bay Area did the same in 2017 and 2018.

Given the long-suffering history of sports in Cleveland, the combined emotional lows of those losses don’t compare to the ultimate championship high anyone within range of the organization had when that Larry O’Brien trophy finally belonged to them.