CLEVELAND — Emotions were understandably raw after the 2024-25 Cavaliers season ended, and All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell wore them on the sleeve of his hoodie.
“Y’all gonna write us the [expletive] off, man,” Mitchell told reporters to end his postgame news conference. “But we’ll be back. We let the city down. Let each other down. We’ll be back. Thank you.”
Then Mitchell struck the door of the media room on his way out. It’s appropriate for him to be frustrated, upset and angry because the Cavs were not expected to be knocked out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second consecutive season. He gave it everything he had but became stuck in a familiar spot.
As the East’s No. 1 seed, the conference finals were supposed to be the floor for the Cavs. Instead, they were worn down physically and mentally by the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers and suffered a season-ending 114-105 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday, May 13, at Rocket Arena.
It was a must-win scenario for the Cavs, and failing to defend their home court against the Pacers for the third time this postseason culminated in a 4-1 defeat in the best-of-seven, second-round playoff series.
The Cavs were banged up in the series, but the elite transition offense, full-court defensive pressure and physicality of the Pacers were much more significant factors in the outcome.
Some other harsh truths are …
The Cavaliers changed coaches and ended up in the same place. They must make roster changes after playoff run ended sooner than expected
This offseason, the Cavs can’t afford to stand pat.
President of basketball operations Koby Altman chose roster continuity last summer and thereby banked on a coaching change elevating the Cavs. Despite their offensive improvement in the regular season and Atkinson winning NBA Coach of the Year, a deeper playoff run didn’t materialize.
Altman took a swing at the Feb. 6 trade deadline by acquiring De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for guard Caris LeVert, forward Georges Niang, three second-round draft choices and two pick swaps.
In 2025, Altman must continue to take shots at altering player personnel because the Cavs need something different to get over the second-round hump. The playoffs have exposed their flaws two years in a row with two different quality coaches at the helm. Bickerstaff, now with the Detroit Pistons, finished runner-up to Atkinson in NBA Coach of the Year voting.
Will the Cavs keep the core four intact after falling to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals?
The core four of Mitchell, All-Star forward Evan Mobley, All-Star point guard Darius Garland and center Jarrett Allen led the Cavs to a 16-win improvement in the regular season compared with their 48-34 finish in 2023-24. The Cavs also ranked first in offensive rating (121) and eighth in defensive rating (111.8) in the 2024-25 regular season a year after they were 16th in offensive rating (114.7) and seventh in defensive rating (112.1).
Yet, the NBA playoffs and regular season are vastly different, and not all parts of Cleveland’s nucleus are ready to take the next step when it matters most.
Mitchell said he’ll go to bat for all of his Cavs teammates, and his support is among the reasons he’s a great leader. What became abundantly clear, though, is Mitchell needed more help from the rest of the Cavs than they gave him against the Pacers.
A season in which Mitchell focused on empowering Mobley, Garland and other teammates to promote their development wrapped up with the Cavs reliant on Mitchell to a fault, even as he pushed through calf and ankle injuries. He scored a game-high 35 points in his final outing of the season after entering the day listed as questionable to play with a left ankle sprain.
“We have a window with this group,” Mitchell said. “I believe in everybody in here. We believe in each other. That’s what sucks, man. It’s just we’re a good team. And for five, four games, three games, we didn’t show, you know, what we’re capable of. And ultimately, that’s what we’re judged on.”
The futures of Mitchell and Mobley are not in doubt. Whether Altman will decide Garland and Allen should both stay is a question at the forefront again.
And even if Altman keeps the core four intact, he shouldn’t run it back with virtually the same roster for the second season in a row. The supporting cast ought to be modified.
Atkinson explained the Cavs needed to be mentally stronger and better equipped physically for the high-intensity pace of Indiana, which advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season. The Cavs will lean on Atkinson’s background in player development to aid the mission, but it alone won’t be enough. Players who fit the profile are required to avoid more of the same.
“I do feel like we got better and from a team aspect, and then we had a lot of individuals make a step,” Atkinson said. “So I just want to make that clear. But the truth of the matter is we didn’t get to the level we wanted to get to. So we’re not pleased with that, and we’re not celebrating the season.”
The Cavs disappointed and underachieved.
Now they must adapt and evolve.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs disappoint, underachieve in NBA playoffs and must adapt, evolve in offseason | Ulrich
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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