Cavaliers Must Exercise Patience Following Latest Playoff Heartbreak

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Indiana Pacers in Game 5, 105-114, ending their postseason before the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in a row.

May 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) hugs guard Donovan Mitchell (45) after game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Another year, another quick exit in the postseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This has been a recurring issue for this team ever since they traded for Donovan Mitchell in hopes of accelerating their timeline and positioning themselves as serious title contenders. While they've garnered the reputation they sought as legitimate playoff threats, they've failed to live up to the lofty standards they've set for themselves in the postseason.

The Indiana Pacers officially finished off the Cavaliers in Game 5, pulling away, 114-105, after fending off a desperate last-ditch comeback attempt from Cleveland in the fourth quarter. After this latest debacle, the Cavs' playoff runs since acquiring Mitchell have ended:

- in five games in the first round against the New York Knicks

- in a sweep at the hands of the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the second round

- in a gentleman's sweep in the second round against the Pacers

This certainly wasn't what the Cavaliers envisioned when they mortgaged their future to add Donovan Mitchell. After this kind of repeated disappointment, the natural inclination would be to blow up the core, either to try to retool and compete with a different configuration or to reset the roster entirely. After all, it seems that the ceiling on Cleveland's core four — Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen — is capped at a swift second-round exit. Fans and pundits have already been clamoring for the Cavaliers to split up their undersized backcourt and/or their oversized twin towers. Coming off of another heartbreaker against the Pacers seems like the perfect time to shake things up.

However, splitting up this core at this juncture would be a grave mistake. This team is a lot better than their quick playoff exit would suggest. The Cavs may have been ousted in five quick games by Indiana, but this series could have gone a lot differently.

Cleveland began the series shorthanded and ended it broken and battered. Garland missed the first two games with a sprained big toe, and Mobley and De'Andre Hunter both sat out Game 2 with injuries they suffered in the opening bout against the Pacers — Mobley a sprained ankle and Hunter a dislocated thumb. All three were rushed back for Game 3 with the Cavs down 0-2, but each was visibly hampered by their respective ailments. Donovan Mitchell also sprained his ankle in Game 4 and was held out of the second half. He played in Game 5 but was clearly in pain throughout the contest.

Despite all of their injuries, Cleveland fought admirably. In Game 2, sans Garland, Mobley, and Hunter, the Cavs led by eight with just over a minute left behind Mitchell's individual heroics. Through a combination of poor late-game execution from Cleveland and some stellar clutch play from Tyrese Haliburton and Indiana, the Cavs blew that lead to fall to 0-2. Had they pulled that one out like they should have, they would have been leading 2-1 after Game 3.

Because of Cleveland's decision to acquire Donovan Mitchell and speed up their rebuild post-LeBron James, it's easy to forget that this was a young team when they traded for Spida. Garland is still just 25 years old. Mobley is even younger at 23. The Cavaliers might have few young assets outside of those two stars, but both Garland and Mobley still have plenty of room to grow, especially under the bright lights of the playoffs.

Lastly, the Eastern Conference will be wide open next year. Damian Lillard is likely to miss the entire 2025-26 season for the Milwaukee Bucks, as is Jayson Tatum for the Boston Celtics. Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on his way out. Outside of Boston, there's not a single juggernaut in the East that should be viewed as massive favorites over this Cavs team if they were to run it back next year.

It might seem like this Cleveland squad has just been running into walls over and over again in the playoffs, but it's only been three years with Mitchell. This was also just their first go-around with Kenny Atkinson as head coach. They only had De'Andre Hunter for a half-season. Mitchell proved this postseason that he's capable of being the first option on a title team. With some natural progression from Garland and Mobley, additional chemistry and experience playing under Coach Atkinson and alongside Hunter, and some marginal improvements, there's no reason that the Cavs couldn't be the favorites to make it out of the East next season. All they have to do is exercise some patience.