The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2024-25 season came to a gut-wrenching end last night, May 13, 2025, with a 114-105 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The defeat sealed a 4-1 series loss, marking the Cavs’ third straight year bowing out in the second round. After a franchise-record-tying 64-win regular season—the second-most in team history—the expectations in Cleveland were sky-high, but the playoff collapse left fans heartbroken and players searching for answers.
Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs’ superstar guard, gave everything he had despite playing through a re-aggravated ankle sprain from Game 4. He dropped 35 points in 38 minutes, adding nine rebounds, four steals, and a block—an all-out effort on one leg to keep Cleveland’s season alive. It wasn’t enough. “We took a step in the right direction, but we didn’t win a championship, and we didn’t complete the end goal,” Mitchell said after the game. “There are no moral victories here. We just didn’t get the job done.”
The game started with promise—Cleveland jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first quarter, fueled by Mitchell’s aggressive scoring. But that lead evaporated as the Pacers, led by Tyrese Haliburton’s 31 points, turned the game around with a 28-12 third-quarter run. Indiana’s pace and depth overwhelmed the Cavs, who couldn’t find an answer down the stretch. It was a bitter pill for a team that went 0-3 at home in the series, a stark contrast to their regular-season dominance at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “I love playing in that arena. That energy. That crowd,” Mitchell said. “We were 0-3 at home. Let the city down. This place is special. And we didn’t get it done. That’s what hurts.”
This season was supposed to be different. The Cavs looked like legit title contenders, securing the East’s top seed with a dynamic offense and a suffocating defense. But injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, cold shooting stretches, and late-game meltdowns plagued them against the Pacers. Since Mitchell arrived in Cleveland in 2022, he’s led the team to 163 regular-season wins and two playoff series victories, but the second-round wall remains unshakable. This exit stings the most—64 wins, an MVP-caliber run from Mitchell, and a dominant point differential all amounted to another early goodbye.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson, in his first postseason with the Cavs, didn’t sugarcoat the loss. “They were the better team. They deserved it, they played great,” Atkinson said. “We got better as a team, and a lot of individuals made a step. But the truth is, we didn’t get to the level we wanted. We’ve got to figure out how to get over this hump. I was expecting more. It’s disappointing.” The boos from the home crowd in the second half echoed years of unmet expectations, a reminder of the heartbreak Cleveland fans have endured since LeBron James left.
Despite the pain, Mitchell’s fire hasn’t dimmed. “I believe in everyone in that locker room,” he said, pushing back against the doubters. “Y’all gonna write us off, man. We’ll be back.” It’s a bold promise from a player who carried his team as far as he could, even on a bum ankle. The Cavs now face a long offseason, grappling with the reality that injuries, inconsistency, and missed opportunities derailed a dream season. “We’re a good team,” Mitchell admitted. “And for five games, we didn’t show what we’re capable of. Ultimately, that’s what we’re judged on.”
For Cavs fans, this one hurts, but Mitchell’s defiance gives them something to hold onto. The pieces are there—64 wins don’t happen by accident—but figuring out how to break through in the playoffs is the challenge ahead. If Mitchell’s words match his fight, Cleveland will be back with a vengeance next season, ready to prove this isn’t their ceiling.
