Top 10 Plays and Moments from Cleveland Cavaliers' 2014-15 Regular Season

The 2014-15 season will go down as one of the most memorable in Cleveland Cavaliers history, regardless of the end result.

From LeBron James' return to Northeast Ohio, to some key in-season trades and finally clinching a playoff spot, it's been a weird and wonderful year for the Cavs.

We've witnessed Kyrie Irving's rise to stardom, Kevin Love's scoring and rebounding prowess and J.R. Smith's ability to pull off some of the craziest highlights of the NBA season.

Together they help create a timeline of plays, highlights and moments for Cleveland's first year of James' return and the formation of the Big Three.

The Cavaliers should still have plenty of basketball left to play, and we hope they take these memories with them.

Opening Night

Date/Opponent: October 30, 2014 vs. New York Knicks

Even after appearing in multiple preseason games wearing the wine and gold, James officially made his return home in late October.

The night featured a sold-out arena, new navy uniforms, a redesigned court and the whole city of Cleveland celebrating at the local pregame concerts.

It had everything. That is, except a Cavaliers' win.

New York spoiled the party just a tad with a 95-90 victory in James' homecoming, one where the guest of honor had just 17 points and a whopping eight turnovers.

While it may not have been the night James or most Cavs fans dreamed of, the whole experience was still special.

Kyrie Shines at the Garden

Date/Opponent: December 4, 2014 at New York Knicks

While Irving had many spectacular games in 2014-15, this was truly his first breakout performance.

With the lowly Knicks once again giving the Cavaliers trouble, Irving stepped up.

Even with future Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert guarding him closely, Irving was able to get to the basket in the closing seconds, finishing a high left-handed layup over Amar'e Stoudemire.

The bucket sealed the 90-87 win for Cleveland, while Irving finished with 37 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the charity stripe.

LeBron Goes Cretaceous on Raptors

Date/Opponent: December 9, 2014 vs. Toronto Raptors

This was a game the Cavaliers had no business winning.

Cleveland had already allowed Toronto to score 63 points by halftime and was trailing by as much as 14 in the third quarter and 10 with just eight minutes left to play.

After winning their previous seven games, it was up to James to secure the Cavs' eighth-straight victory.

James nailed the go-ahead three-pointer with less than a minute as Cleveland completed its 105-101 comeback bid. James finished with 35 points to lead all scorers as the Cavaliers made their first true statement in the Eastern Conference.

The Season Shifts

Date/Opponent: January 15, 2015 at Los Angeles Lakers

Cleveland's season officially restarted on Jan. 15.

James had recently returned from a 15-day rest break. Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith were added to the starting lineup, and Iman Shumpert became a leading reserve contributor following trades from the Denver Nuggets and Knicks.

On this night against a struggling Lakers squad, James appeared to have a spring back in his step by dropping 36 points, overcoming Kobe Bryant's career-high 17 assists.

Irving poured in 22. Love contributed 17 while taking charges despite nursing a sore back.

The 109-102 win over Los Angeles sparked a streak of 12 in a row, propelling the Cavaliers back toward the top of the East.

Total Team Effort Against Jazz

Date/Opponent: January 1, 2015 vs. Utah Jazz

On the single best collective play of the season: Irving, Smith, Tristan Thompson and Love combined for some pure magic.

Utah began with a three-on-two fast break, with Gordon Hayward attempting an alley-oop that Irving was having none of. Smith then proceeded to orchestrate a no-look back tap to Thompson, who handed the ball off running-back style to a possessed-looking Irving.

Undeterred by 7'2" Rudy Gobert between him and the basket, Irving calmly lobbed a pass to Love, who slammed it home to cap off one delightful circus of a play.

Whether one calls it a sign of good team chemistry or just a series of lucky events, this is certainly worth watching over and over again.

The Cavaliers would end up victorious, 106-92.

Who Needs LeBron?

Date/Opponent: January 28, 2015 vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Cleveland may have finished just 2-11 without James in 2014-15, but it could have been even worse if not for Irving's heroic efforts.

The then-22-year-old point guard dropped a personal best and Quicken Loans Arena record 55 points in a 99-94 win over the Trail Blazers with James looking on.

A team-record 11 three-pointers helped contribute to that 55, as Irving also went a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line.

As spectacular as this night was for Irving, the best was yet to come.

Smith Gets Revenge on the Knicks

Date/Opponent: February 22, 2015 at New York Knicks

After being traded to the Cavaliers along with Shumpert for a sack of magic beans, Smith appeared hungry to show New York what it was missing.

This play speaks for itself. Shumpert and Smith use a bit of eye contact to initiate one of the fiercest dunks of the year.

James proceeds to lose his mind and then send a 'thank you' text complete with two smiley faces to general manager David Griffin after the game.

Cleveland came away a winner, 101-83.

Kyrie Breaks LeBron's Scoring Record

Date/Opponent: March 12, 2015 at San Antonio Spurs

As fun as Irving's 55 points against the Blazers was to watch, his newest scoring outburst topped even The King himself.

James could only shake his head in wonderful disbelief as Irving dropped a franchise-record 57 (previous was 56) on the defending champs.

In what was arguably the best and most exciting game of the season, Cleveland's 128-125 overtime win left James singing his young teammate's praises.

"The kid is special, we all know it, we all see it," James told The Associated Press, via ESPN. "For him to go out and put on a performance like he did tonight was incredible."

Throw It Up, Kyrie

Date/Opponent: April 5, 2015 vs. Chicago Bulls

Sometimes, numbers can be confusing.

Irving was given the inbounds pass, thinking that the shot clock had 22 seconds remaining. When he quickly realized it was actually just two, a heave and a prayer is all Irving could have hoped for.

"It was a crazy play," Irving told the Associated Press, via ESPN. "Luckily it went in. There was no skill there. I was just throwing it up at the rim and hopefully it goes in."

Luckily, James' urging to shoot made the difference in the possession and, ultimately, the game.

"I told him to just throw it up there and see what happens, and it went in," James said of Irving's deepest three. "I told him to just cast it, and it definitely was the difference in the game."

With Irving's 52-foot heave, the Cavaliers came away with a slim 99-94 victory over Chicago.

Smith's Buzzer-Beater

Date/Opponent: April 5, 2015 vs. Chicago Bulls

Smith has yet to meet a shot he doesn't like, even when it's a fadeaway, out-of-bounds three-pointer at the buzzer.

In the very same game where Irving nailed a half-court shot, Smith stole the show right before halftime. In a brilliantly drawn-up play, Smith had just enough space to fire off his three-pointer before time expired.

He finished the game with 17 total shot attempts, all of which came from beyond the three-point arc.

Smith is fearless and has proved to be the perfect complementary piece to the Cavaliers' starting five this season.

Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010. All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.