Report: Cavs used to pad attendance figures because of how few fans showed up during games

The Cleveland Cavaliers were among the top 10 teams in the NBA last season in terms of average crowd size at home games, but it took a long road for the organization to build its fan base up to that standard.

Looking back at the early history of the team as part of a tribute to late Cavs founder Nick Mileti, Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto shared that the franchise padded its attendance figures during its first season in the NBA way back in the 1970s.

“The Cavs averaged 3,518 fans in that 1970-71 season, the fewest in the NBA,” wrote Pluto. “The Cavs padded attendance figures to reach that total of 3,518. Some nights, there were fewer than 1,000 fans actually in the seats.”

In the 2023-24 regular season, the Cavs averaged a reported 19,345 fans per home game, which ranked eighth in the NBA. They’ve become frequent members of the top 10, a true testament to how far the organization has come since its founding.

During the 2015-16 season, when Cleveland won its first and only NBA title, the team averaged 20,562 fans at its home games (playoffs excluded), ranking second in the league behind only the Chicago Bulls.

These days, the Cavs have had some solid fan support during the Donovan Mitchell era. The star guard, who signed an extension with the franchise this offseason, is hoping to lead Cleveland to an NBA title alongside the likes of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

Last season, the team was able to win its first playoff series since 2018, which could get fans excited for what’s to come in the 2024-25 campaign. In addition, the Cavs will have some new blood this season with Kenny Atkinson at head coach as he takes over for J.B. Bickerstaff.

Cleveland had the benefit of home-court advantage (and the fan support that comes with that) in its first-round playoff matchup last season, which certainly could have impacted the outcome of the series, as the Cavs needed seven games to eliminate the Orlando Magic (with the Game 7 taking place in Cleveland).

After having that advantage in the first round last season, Mitchell and company will likely be motivated to capture a solid playoff seed once again in the new campaign in order to ensure that they get as many playoff home games as possible.