Three playoffs, three bad defeats. That has been the calling card of the Cleveland Cavaliers for three years, and the NBA community is holding them accountable.
Every Finals hopeful has a flaw that can be exploited. Plenty of luck is included in the championship recipe, but taking advantage of an opponent's vulnerabilities and elevating your strengths is just as important. For Cleveland, rivals have easily tested their weaknesses and come out on top.
Against the New York Knicks in 2023, the Cavaliers looked wholly unfit for postseason basketball. The Knicks out-rebounded, out-hustled and out-played the Cavs on their own homecourt. In the following postseason in 2024, the Cavaliers scraped past the Orlando Magic in a seven-game round one series, running into the juggernaut Boston Celtics.
This past postseason, the Cavaliers had all momentum in their favor, especially after a sweep against the Miami Heat to open the playoffs. Injuries, bad execution and poor anticipation for the Indiana Pacers led to a decimating five-game series loss.
After losing in spectacular fashion following a 64-win regular season, critics of Cleveland are not holding back. For good reason, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report gave the Cavs a brutally honest and painfully necessary reality check to start the 2025-26 regular season.
Get mentally tough, or get out
Detailing the reason each of the league's 30 teams won't will the NBA Finals, Favale kept it short and sweet. The Cavaliers cannot be the champions of excuses if they want to win an NBA title. So far, Cleveland has chosen the former.
"They were banged up. They weren't used to physicality. Jarrett Allen was stuck under a bus. The New York Knicks found their defense's Achilles heel: a missed shot. Donovan Mitchell needed to do too much. Evan Mobley couldn't shoot yet. JB Bickerstaff was the DeMar DeRozan of Tom Thibodeaus... What twist of fate beyond their control will befall these Cavs next? "Dan Favale
Yes, injuries played a significant role in the last two years. Jarrett Allen suffered a serious rib injury against the Magic which sidelined him for the rest of the run. Darius Garland could hardly stand after a toe injury against the Heat this year.
Mentally and physically, the Cavaliers are weak in the playoffs. Every member of the core and supporting cast has immense talent. On paper, this team is built for playoff success, employing three All-Stars, two of which earned All-NBA last season. Still, a singular second-round game win is the peak of their accomplishments.
In Cleveland's defense, the core is young. Evan Mobley earned Defensive Player of the Year in just his fourth season, and Garland is barely older. Donovan Mitchell is 29 years old, and Jarret Allen is 27 years old. The championship window is still open, and none of the Cavs' core players are nearing the end of their primes. In fact, only Mitchell has truly entered his prime years.
Despite their youth, though, the Cavaliers are the face of the Eastern Conference. Out west, the young and hungry Oklahoma City Thunder just won the NBA Finals with the 27-year-old MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the helm.
Injuries may be the real reason why the Cavaliers have lost in the playoffs, but those who have played have shown the same mental weakness as years ago. Max Strus went cold in a do-or-die game five at home. Allen continues to get beaten on the boards. Mitchell loses trust in his teammates and takes over with stupid shots and unnecessary mistakes.
Maybe Favale's words are what the Cavaliers need to hear. Bringing a championship to Cleveland is not an easy task, and nobody expects the Cavs to steamroll every rival along the way. Still, the Cavaliers need to remember the playoffs are longer than one round, and everybody in the postseason is just as hungry to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy as they are.
If the Cleveland Cavaliers haven't been used to the physicality, Favale sees the solution as nothing more complicated than getting used to it. Cleveland has the talent, but the willpower and durability may be their fatal flaw.