Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell has dreams of competing in the Conference Finals. It's a truth he's openly discussed and nearly realized, with four trips beyond the first round across his eight-year career with the Cavaliers and Utah Jazz.
Following an offseason that consisted of difficult departures and intriguing additions, the Cavaliers have granted Mitchell's wish by making his team a heavy favorite to reach the Conference Finals.
Mitchell has earned his place as one of the most prolific playoff scorers in NBA history, ranking No. 3 all-time in career postseason games with at least 50 points scored. Unfortunately, he's yet to reach the Conference Finals—and in 2024, spoke about how important it is that he does so.
In a 2024 interview with Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Mitchell stated that his goal is to reach the Conference Finals and ultimately the NBA Finals.
“Obviously, you’re judged by conference finals and finals. That’s my mindset. That’s kind of where I’m at and where my head is at,” Mitchell said. “First round, second round is cool. I’m taking it one round at a time. But my goal is to make the conference finals and get to the NBA Finals, you know what I mean? That’s what I’m judged on.”
With the roster they've assembled in a depleted Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers have granted Mitchell's wish by giving him everything he needs to achieve his goal of reaching the Conference Finals.
Cavaliers have enough to achieve Donovan Mitchell's goal, reach ECF
Achilles injuries sustained by Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum have led many to believe that the 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics and 2025 NBA Finalist Indiana Pacers will not contend in 2025-26. Boston and Indiana, of course, eliminated Cleveland from the playoffs in 2024 and 2025.
Considering Cleveland won a conference-leading 64 games in 2024-25, it's difficult to argue against its status as a favorite to reach the 2026 Conference Finals.
Losing Ty Jerome certainly hurts, as the former NCAA champion broke out as an electric scorer in 2024-25. Cleveland's roster should improve, however, given the addition of playmaker Lonzo Ball and well-rounded power forward Larry Nance Jr.
Ball should alleviate facilitating pressure from Mitchell if he can leave injuries behind, while Nance can excel as a 3-and-D big who shot 44.7 percent from beyond the arc in 2024-25.
Furthermore, De'Andre Hunter should benefit immensely from spending his first training camp with the Cavaliers. The chemistry between Hunter and his new teammates should blossom under said conditions, which is an intriguing thought considering he averaged 14.3 points on .485/.426/.821 shooting with the Cavaliers despite being acquired at the trade deadline.
Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson will also be entering his second season at the helm, thus enabling him to operate with a stronger understanding of his players' strengths and weaknesses.
When all else fails, the Cavaliers will still be able to fall back on a starting lineup that includes four All-Stars in Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Mitchell, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley. The fact that Cleveland has a top-tier head coach and impressive depth rounds the vision of a journey to the Conference Finals into form.
The Cavaliers still need to go out and deliver a Conference Finals appearance, but the franchise has granted Mitchell's wish of having enough talent around him to finally realize that dream.