Heading into the 2025 NBA Playoffs, plenty of people were optimistic about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ chances of getting over the hump after multiple years of early playoff exits.
The Cavaliers got off to an auspicious start to the playoffs, as they swept the Miami Heat, and all but one of those four games were decided by over 20 points.
Yet, Cleveland has been hit with a hard dose of reality in its second-round series against the Indiana Pacers. The No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference lost both of the first two games at home and suffered its most recent loss when the Pacers blew its doors off in Game 4 on Sunday.
With the Cavaliers underperforming against the Pacers and being one loss away from their season coming to an abrupt end, former NBA forward Chandler Parsons implied that the Cavs have failed to prove their doubters wrong. He pointed to their lack of playoff success and said, “This is why we didn’t give them respect,” referencing how they were seen during the regular season.
"This is why we didn't give the Cleveland Cavaliers respect and flowers because we haven't seen them do it when it matters most."
Chandler Parsons says the Pacers have been better than the Cavs and it "hasn't even been close" 😬@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/OfVdvHk2DP
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 12, 2025
It would be quite the letdown for Cavaliers fans if the team bowed out in the second round of the playoffs considering how much success it enjoyed in the 2024-25 regular season.
In Kenny Atkinson’s first season holding the coaching reins, the Cavaliers finished with the second-most wins in any regular season in franchise history. Cleveland won 64 games, while the 2008-09 iteration of the team, which was spearheaded by star forward LeBron James, holds the team record with 66 victories.
The Cavaliers now have their backs against the wall and have no choice but to pick up a victory in Tuesday’s game to stay alive in these playoffs, and they might have to play Game 5 without their best player.
Cavs star Donovan Mitchell exited Cleveland’s blowout Game 4 loss with an ankle injury, and the latest reports are indicating that the team is unsure about his availability status for Tuesday.
Mitchell would be a massive loss for the Cavaliers with all that’s at stake for them, as he’s been their top scoring option throughout the season and is averaging 34 points per game through the first four contests of their second-round series, even despite the fact that he left early in Game 4.
