The Cleveland Cavaliers encountered two problems in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Indiana Pacers were one, and don’t shortchange their 4-1 series victory over the Cavs, culminating with Indiana’s 114-105 victory in Game 5 Tuesday. The well-coached Pacers improved as the season progressed and are playing solid basketball in the playoffs.
Injuries were the other, and the Cavaliers just couldn’t get enough healthy players on the court for enough games to give themselves a better chance. All-Star Darius Garland, All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and key reserve De’Andre Hunter all missed games against Indiana with injuries and the three missed Game 2, a 120-119 Pacers victory in which the Cavs led by 17 late in the third quarter and 119-112 with 57.6 seconds remaining in the fourth.
The Cavaliers and their fans leave the 2025 playoffs disappointed, for sure, and wondering how the playoffs might have turned out had the Cavs been healthy.
Determining what needs to be done in the offseason requires a measured approach, and that’s how ownership, president of basketball operations Koby Altman and general manager Mike Gansey should navigate the offseason.
This is not a “re-evaluate the direction of the team” summer for Cleveland. The Cavaliers had one of the best seasons in franchise history, going 64-18. It was the second-best record in franchise history, and the best non-LeBron James regular season.
In Kenny Atkinson’s first season with the team – he was named NBA Coach of the Year – the Cavs were No. 1 offensively, scoring 121 points, and No. 8 defensively, allowing 111.8 points, for the league’s third-best net rating at plus-9.2
Cleveland’s Core Four – Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Garland and Mobley – and fifth starter Max Strus are all under contract through at least 2026-27, and Isaac Okoro, Hunter and Dean Wade are signed for next season. That’s a great place to be.
Yes, there is significant money invested in that roster, and the Cavs will be a taxpaying team next season. That just means Altman and Gansey will have to work hard to fill in spots around the edges that can help the Cavs.
Atkinson curtailed minutes during the regular season with Donovan, Garland, Allen and Strus all playing fewer minutes per game this season than last.
The Cavs were unlucky at the wrong time. A great season plus unfortunate events shouldn’t alter the trajectory the front office designed. The idea was to compete for titles with that Core Four for at least a few seasons, and nothing that happened in the playoffs should change that.
