Cleveland Cavaliers preseason history should calm fans after winless start

So far this preseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost to the Chicago Bulls twice in close games with their full team of healthy players. They also lost in a blowout to the Boston Celtics where those players did not touch the court at all.

Let's go back and take a look at the last few NBA preseasons for the Cavaliers and compare their performances in each of those to their regular season and playoff performances.

2022-2023 Preseason

The 2022 preseason was the first year of the core four in Cleveland. The Cavs had just made the big trade for Donovan Mitchell.

In these games, the Cavs went 1-3 with their only win coming against the Atlanta Hawks.

After this preseason start, the team then went on to win 51 games under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They finished the season with the No. 1 defense and a top 10 offense to go with it.

In the playoffs, Cleveland lost to the New York Knicks in five games in the first round.

2023-2024 Preseason

The following preseason, after a disappointing elimination in the playoffs, Cleveland played another four preseason games. The schedule this time around was against the Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, and the Israeli team Maccabi Ra’Anana.

Their only win came against the Israeli side in a blowout win for the Cavs. In the other three games, the Cavs lost by five points or less in each.

In the regular season Cleveland finished with a 48-34 record and another No. 4 seed with a dropoff on offensive efficiency and defensive numbers.

After a seven games series where the Cavaliers beat the Magic, they went on to lose to the Boston Celtics in five games.

2024-2025 Preseason

Their record was 0-4 and all of their losses were devastating ones for the team in their first year under head coach Kenny Atkinson.

In the regular season however, Cleveland went on to have their second best ever season with a 64-18 record and the No. 1 seed in the East. Atkinson led the team to a No. 1 offense in the league. Evan Mobley went on to win the Defensive Player of the Year along with himself and Donovan Mitchell making All-NBA teams.

The playoffs were where the disappointment came. After a sweep of the Miami Heat, the second round saw the Cavs lose to the red hot Pacers in five games. The Pacers then went on to the NBA Finals.

What does this mean for this season?

Looking at the last three preseasons, the Cavs have been successful despite the losses. An 0-4 preseason could also show to be the best case scenario for the team if you want to think about it that way as well.

Next, the Cavaliers face the Detroit Pistons tonight at 7 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.