The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the prolific Eastern Conference titans right now, but that standing has only led to regular season glory.
Cleveland has built a commendable roster around a young core, continually finding veteran talent and adjusting on the margins. The front office has consistently shown a belief in the group, refusing to sway from the plan in the face of yearly trade rumors and the daunting Collective Bargaining Agreement luxury tax penalties.
That faith has led to numerous accolades that have rarely been won by Cavaliers players. In his first season as head coach, Kenny Atkinson led the team to 64 wins and earned the Coach of the Year award. Evan Mobley became the first Cavalier to win Defensive Player of the Year, and he also joined Donovan Mitchell on the All-NBA roster.
Even after three postseasons together, the Cavs still lack the experience and resilience to accomplish the playoffs feats that seem necessary to justify the high price tag for the roster and the constant regular season praise. With another second-round embarrassment to the Indiana Pacers this past year, Cleveland is at risk of becoming a painful example of the NBA's unforgiving postseason brutality.
The Cavaliers have a negative record in the playoffs
Since trading for Mitchell in 2022, the Cavs returned to playoff action for the first time since LeBron James' exit in 2018. Mitchell elevated the Cavaliers immediately, leading to three playoff appearances and one season with the conference's best record. Mitchell indvidually has evolved as a scorer, shooter, leader and playmaker. While his time with the Utah Jazz boxed him into a role as a pure scorer, he has embraced the change and responsibility in Cleveland.
Mitchell has not be the sole cause of the Cavs' postseason failures. While any number of flaws can be highlighted on Mitchell's performances, it is a full-team effort that has led to a lack of success. Mitchell and Mobley have risen in the playoffs, but that rise has not brought others along with them, leading to an imbalanced attack and painful results.
The modern Cavaliers era has a regular season record of 163-83 record since 2022. As argued by ESPN's Zach Kram, that statistic is stomped by the abysmal 42-percent win rate in the playoffs. An 11-14 record in the postseason is dismal, especially as the Cavaliers espouse a determination to compete for the Finals. In three playoff runs, the Cavs have not accumulated enough wins even to reach the Conference Finals.
Three playoffs. Not enough wins to win three rounds.
Things need to change for Cleveland to win in the playoffs
Cleveland needs change. This summer, the Cavs embraced that fact by making all-in moves for Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance, Jr. - two players who fit archetypes the Cavaliers desperatey lacked in recent history. Ball gives a reliable backup playmaker, and Nance is a proven frontcourt presence.
Whether or not those two changes are enough is certainly questionable. Neither player has a clean bill of health. All of their positive attributes could become mute if they are sidelined for extended periods. Perhaps the change the Cavaliers need is not the names on the roster sheet, but instead Atkinson and the coaching staff must emphasize Mobley as the focal point of both offense and defense. He is an ascending star, but surrounding him with other All-Star talent has led to lower shooting volume and too many games when he is ignored.
For the Cavaliers to succeed in the playoffs, Mobley cannot go silent for entire halves. Cleveland must rely on bench help to keep everybody healthy, distributing minutes evenly. That also means every player must commit to both sides of the ball, because in a fluid rotation nobody can afford to lapse on defense.
There is no singular miraculous fix for the Cleveland Cavaliers. One change will only fix one problem, but it may also create three new issues. Mobley needs to be a true leading man. The Cavaliers need to stay healthy. Defense has to be everybody's job, not just for a few specialists. Change is needed, but change is nuanced. The Cavaliers must find the answer fast.