When the Cleveland Cavaliers take the court late Thursday afternoon for LeBron James’ return to Miami, they’ll be playing on Christmas Day for the 11th time in their 45 seasons of play.
There’s no place like home for Christmas, which could be the Cavaliers’ motto in this case, since they’re undefeated at either Richfield Coliseum or Gund/Quicken Loans Arena in five holiday games. Conversely, the numbers are flipped on road courts, winning only once in six previous tries.
Making an attempt to rate 10 previous Cavalier Christmas Day clashes, here’s a look from worst to best performances starting at number 10:
10. Lost at Washington, 117-99 (1976)
After having started the season with a 16-4 record, the Cavs had been in a rut for the month of December winning just three of their next nine. In this clash, that rut continued with a listless performance that had the Cavaliers trailing by as many as 34 early in the fourth quarter. The trio of Campy Russell, Austin Carr and Bingo Smith combined to shoot 12 of 40 from the field.
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