The Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot to celebrate this year, even after a disappointing exit in the second round of the playoffs.
Winning 64 games in the regular season proved the Cavaliers can play some of the best basketball in the world, but that unstoppable momentum dissolved in the postseason. Despite a dominant sweep against the Miami Heat in round one, the Cavs could not stay healthy and looked mentally weak against the Indiana Pacers.
Ultimately, the Cavaliers lost the series in five games, losing all three games at home. It was an embarrassment to the franchise and a setback to the expected future of the team. The unexpected early exit does not define the Cavaliers, but it proved that regular season accolades and victories are worth little if that mentality is not continued in the postseason.
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman hosted an end-of-season media availability following the season's end. He fielded questions from reporters and analysts on a variety of topics, including luxury tax and second apron options and the future of the roster. With the offseason in the early days, Altman did not offer definitive answers. Instead, Altman professed his belief in players such as 23-year-old All-Star big man Evan Mobley and his fit with Donovan Mitchell and head coach Kenny Atkinson's system.
Notably, Altman directly spoke on the Cavs' lack of mental toughness. Rather than blaming injuries, Cleveland's leading executive did not mince words about a recurring playoff issue. The Cavaliers are not as mentally prepared as their opponents to face the bright lights and the added pressure. Some Cleveland stars have risen to the occasion while others fall into the shadows.
"We went into this playoffs saying we want to win the possession battle, and we did that in large portion. We doubled the Pacers in offensive rebounding... There's a mental toughness that we're going to have to get to that the Pacers had."Koby Altman
The statement got at the heart of what holds the Cavaliers back, but Altman's perspective on the correct path forward missed the mark. Cleveland is a young and growing contender in the NBA. With Mobley as the second star, the team's championship window is only starting to open. Still, Altman's presser dodged one potentially fatal flaw that could doom the Cavaliers' title dreams before they materialize.
The Cavaliers are not the next Boston Celtics
Looking forward in the near future for this Cavaliers era, Altman once again avoided a hard truth the Cavs are inevitably going to have to address. This offseason, trade rumors on the future of the Cavs' core four will again be the commanding story surrounding the roster. Last summer, onlookers expected Cleveland's starting lineup to change drastically after a five-game loss to the Boston Celtics. Instead of dismantling the core he built, Altman doubled down and secured long-term contracts with each of the four stars.
With four max deals in the near future, Cleveland has little reason or opportunity to make a major shakeup this offseason. The Cavaliers cannot overreact to the defeat. Altman spoke on internal growth for Mobley as a key focus this summer. While patience is likely the Cavs' best option this offseason, Atlman compared this team to the championship Boston Celtics that ignored calls to break up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown after every failure.
"These are the experiences you have to go through to get to the next level. I mean, Oklahoma City, number one team in the West, lost in the second round. And this year, they got over that hump in game seven... Denver's core that they've kept together and finally breaking through for a championship... Took seven years of the Celtics to break through and win a championship."Koby Altman
This year's media availability was not Altman's first time comparing his Cavaliers to Brad Stevens' Celtics. Boston faced endless criticism for the pairing of Brown and Tatum, but the star duo eventually won a championship. Notably, however, they are not the entirety of that seven-year core Altman consistently praises.
The Cavaliers are not the Celtics, and they cannot ever be the Celtics. Years before Tatum and Brown won Boston's 18th Finals, the core was significantly different from the one that hung the banner. In Boston's 2024 run to the Finals, Jrue Holiday was in his first season with the team alongside Kristaps Porzingis - two instrumental players in the Celtics' run all season.
Rewinding time to the 2018-19 NBA season, the Celtics employed former Cavaliers champion Kyrie Irving as the leader of a young core composed of Tatum, Brown and Robert Williams III. Later, the Celtics added Marcus Smart into the mix following Irving's departure for the Brooklyn Nets. When the Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, Smart and Williams were still key members of the core.
By the time Boston achieved their ultimate goal, Smart had been traded to the Memphis Grizzlies while Williams had been sent to the Portland Trailblazers. Neither Smart nor Williams were All-Stars with the Celtics, but Smart had won Defensive Player of the Year, and Williams was continually one of the league's top rebounding bigs.
Altman has to make a decision for Cleveland's future
As much as Altman believes the core of the Cavaliers can win together, his favorite examples to prove himself do the opposite. Boston recognized the core pieces on the roster, but they recognized a need to prioritize those players and make hard choices to put the best possible roster around them. For Boston, Tatum and Brown were the two untouchable stars needed to win it all.
If Altman hopes to follow the same trajectory as the Celtics, he is going to have to face the hard truth. Tying nearly $200 million in four players is a cost the Cavs may not be able to pay. Boston had little reason to dislike the production of Smart. He was a rugged defender and smart playmaker, but his lackluster three-point shooting and mentality left him the odd man out for the Celtics.
Keeping with Altman's comparison, the Cavaliers' core is evolving in a similar fasion. Mobley and Mitchell are undeniably the two players most pivotal for the franchise's future. While Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen have provided crucial elements in the team's success, they are not untouchable like their counterparts.
Altman is right to recognize the pattern it takes for teams to find success at the highest level. Roster cohesion is paramount, but so is timely decision making. The Thunder have yet to win the Finals, but even OKC had to stay aggressive in changing and building the roster, adding Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso to bolster the defense and physicality. The Cavaliers have made one trade since acquiring Donovan Mitchell in 2022.
Mobley's leap into stardom will decide the ceiling for this era of Cavs basketball, but Altman has to decide if surrounding him with three other All-Star talents will help or halt his growth going forward. The Celtics had to make that decision. If Altman believes the Cleveland Cavaliers can mimic that same success, he is ignoring the hard truth. Boston won with two core stars and a tremendous supporting cast constructed by trading other beloved core players.