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"We were partying the whole time" – Richard Jefferson recalls Cavaliers' wild 2016 playoff run
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- "We were partying the whole time" – Richard Jefferson recalls Cavaliers' wild 2016 playoff run
The Cleveland Cavaliers ' 2016 championship run was perhaps one of the most incredible in NBA history. After dominating the Eastern Conference on the way to the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers, led by LeBron James , Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, fell to a 3-1 hole against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, only to miraculously come back and win the series in seven games.
While that postseason was indeed special for the Cavaliers faithful, it was also, as it turns out, quite the bonding experience for the players themselves.
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According to 17-year NBA veteran Richard Jefferson , who was part of that title-winning Cavaliers team, they weren't just dominating everyone on the way to the Finals; they were also having a good time after each game.
"We were partying the whole time," Jefferson revealed in an episode of The Club 520 Podcast, hosted by fellow NBA veteran Jeff Teague.
The Cavaliers partied after sweeping Detroit
That year, the Cavaliers finished at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 57-25 record, setting up a first-round matchup with the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons. Unsurprisingly, they swept the Pistons, giving them extra days off since the other series in their bracket went six games.
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With some time on their hands, Jefferson said that the Cavaliers decided to go out and do something as a team.
"So we got like six days, so this was our first time in the playoffs, we was like, 'Alright, let's go to dinner, let's go do something.' So we meet up, we go to dinner," Jefferson recalled. "And then Bron, who stays in Akron, we're in Cleveland, he's like, 'Hey, should we go out?' He's like, 'Yeah.' So we end up going out, having a good time, partying 'til 2 in the morning."
Jefferson says the Cavs started partying after every win
Up next for the Cavaliers during that postseason run was Teague and the Atlanta Hawks, who they also swept. By this time, Jefferson shared that they were going out after each playoff win.
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'So then the next series, we played Atlanta, I don't remember. Either way, it was a four-game sweep," s aid Jefferson. "In Atlanta, we go up 3-0…we was going out after every win. I'm thinking like, at this point in time, I'm like, series over, we're chilling."
Atlanta, of course, is famous for its nightlife, and it's easy to have a little bit too much fun there. That's exactly what happened to Jefferson, who ended up sleeping through a team function the following day.
"I completely missed the film session," Jefferson said. "We was out 'til 2 in the morning, having a good time, coming back and I woke up, ate breakfast. I don't know why I thought we had the day off, just because we had won like seven in a row."
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Ty Lue's reality check
In the Eastern Conference finals, the Cavaliers faced the Toronto Raptors and flew out to a 2-0 series lead. Having swept the last two teams they played, they thought they were on their way to doing the same to the Raptors. Instead, they found themselves dropping two straight in Toronto.
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After going up 3-2, Jefferson said that then-Cavaliers head coach Ty Lue had to remind his players that there was still work to be done.
"T-Lue was like, 'Listen boys, this is a business trip. Let's go finish this out. Everybody stay in," Jefferson said.
The Cavaliers went on to win the series in six games.
10-year anniversary trip
This past summer, Jefferson, along with his former Cavaliers teammates, including James, Love, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova, commemorated the 10-year anniversary of that Cavaliers title run by traveling to the United Kingdom. Irving was invited, but had to beg off due to prior commitments.
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"For us to get together and relive that kind of 10-year joint, it just felt like we was on a road trip, where it's like you're eating together, having dinners together, you're doing activities together, you're just together the whole time," Jefferson stated. "I can't believe that more teams didn't do it."
Judging from Jefferson's stories, it sure sounds like that Cavaliers postseason run definitely helped create a lifelong bond.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
