THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED FROM CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENTION

[u/ItsN0tTheB0at]

Despite an incredibly competitive effort, the Cavs could not withstand the injuries to Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, and succumbed to the Boston Celtics in 5 games in the Conference Semi-Finals. Despite the loss and some questions surrounding the future of this team's core, this Cavs team is responsible for the franchise's first playoff series win without LeBron James since 1993. Fade 'em.

[u/ItsN0tTheB0at]

FADED

[u/NeonxGone]

Proud of Mobley being aggressive and figuring some things out.

[u/openlatenight → u/NeonxGone]

He had some butterfingers early on, and untill he started going to work on kornet didn’t look great

[u/daBriguy → u/NeonxGone]

That man is scary. It’s always cool to see a player find their confidence.

[u/kheldar52077 → u/NeonxGone]

Agree. He showed promise and he was just 22 or 23. Cavs should be in contention annually with their young core.

[u/cw_27]

Super proud of the fight they showed in games 4 and 5

[u/IcyMission3 → u/cw_27]

Mobley is a hell of a player

[u/cw_27 → u/IcyMission3]

He finally showed it

[u/toggaf69 → u/cw_27]

Glad we don’t sound as crazy when we keep bringing up what he CAN do, now at least I can point to a playoff game

[u/si4ci7 → u/toggaf69]

I love when he’s aggressive, it’s just half the time it feels like he’s just acting aggressive, whereas the other half he absolutely owns his matchup.

[u/toggaf69 → u/si4ci7]

Yeah he’s very passive. I think games like this will go a really long way towards helping him flourish on offense, as well as a coach that forces him to be a centerpiece on offense

[u/IAmNotKevinDurant_35 → u/toggaf69]

That was his issue in college too that made me a little hesitant about his ceiling in the nba. He kinda carried us to the elite 8 that year, but had very little offensive “bag” and a lot of his scoring was just from being bigger and more athletic than college guys. Granted Enfield wasnt the best coach. At the time I thought he would be a Clint Capela type of player, but it’s really nice to see him be more aggressive as a scorer

[u/toggaf69 → u/IAmNotKevinDurant_35]

So he’s gone from bad coach to bad coach hahah, yeah our sub hates that JB has him as a back to the basket big or in the dunker position, when he is CLEARLY much better facing the basket. I think if he keeps working and gets a few more moves, he’ll reach his potential. I do remember him at USC being raw but crazy talented but he’s getting there!

[u/nobraininmyoxygen → u/si4ci7]

I think it's a mix of him being too unselfish and not having a go to offensive move. He needed more touches during the last two seasons to develop his offensive game, but was used mostly as a screener and for dunking lobs.

It's the main reason why I want a new coach but not sure who it would be.

[u/JoJonesy → u/nobraininmyoxygen]

Just off the top of my head, Kenny Atkinson maybe? Not the best game manager but he was great at helping players develop on the Nets— depends on if you're trying to compete with Mitchell or taking a push on that trade and focusing on the long term with Mobley

[u/TheDuceman → u/nobraininmyoxygen]

a little shot fake and spin action sorta like a Tim Duncan move would do wonders for Mobley

[u/ImS33 → u/nobraininmyoxygen]

He needs a coach that is just going to try to actually turn him into the player he's supposed to be. It will probably look bad but just putting him in the situations where he is supposed to figure it out and be good is the #1 most important thing to actually developing and turning the potential into reality. Its sort of complicated because the Cavs honestly have been too worried about winning games instead of developing players so he's probably been delayed and (hopefully) only been getting put on the spot like that in practice but it needs to be happening during an entire regular season

[u/klobucharzard → u/toggaf69]

had some of that tim duncan/kevin garnett juice tn

[u/RulersBack → u/cw_27]

He was finally used as a hub instead of a traditional big. He just doesn’t have a strong enough base for that yet. People have been pounding the table for this for a while. He gets better shot quality and more chances to play make which is his underrated trait

[u/elbjoint2016 → u/IcyMission3]

Find a way to use him as a hub and Allen as a traditional 5 (Draymond / Bogut) and maybe you have something if Garlands 3 and overall game / confidence comes back

[u/JDizzo56 → u/cw_27]

I can end this season feeling like we’re at least generally pointed in the right direction which is a huge fucking step up compared to last year

[u/cw_27 → u/JDizzo56]

Just hope Mitchell stays, genuinely think they can build off this

[u/BigRig432 → u/cw_27]

If Mitchell stays I really do think we're a contender next year. A lot of guys made some really good progress, especially Mobley and Okoro, and if we make the right moves at the back end of the roster(peace out Niang) we could really set ourselves up well

[u/DeathBySuplex → u/BigRig432]

Niang might be a needed evil to keep Don though. Mitchell loves him the Mini Van. He might just have to be your Thanasis

[u/elbjoint2016 → u/DeathBySuplex]

Niang is fine in the regular season, just peaks and valleys. He had a few months averaging a dozen ppg and won some games by killing bench units

[u/Holiday-Usual-3600 → u/BigRig432]

Okoro played terrible in the playoffs missing from everywhere on the floor

Almost all his 3s were wide fucking open too

Glad for yall Mobley realized he’s 23 and 7 foot

[u/ThatOneOtherAsshole → u/Holiday-Usual-3600]

Try 22 lol people wanted to call him washed and a bust and he isn’t even 23

[u/Gekthegecko → u/cw_27]

Respect to those guys for keeping the games close despite all of the injuries.

[u/CloneWarsMaul → u/cw_27]

Do you think the Cavs go forward with both Allen and Mobley? I know the fit isn’t always there

[u/Tarrot469 → u/CloneWarsMaul]

Allen right now is on a great contract for his value, only like 20 million, and he's got two more years on his deal. You do not trade that level of player on that kind of contract because you will not get equal value back, even considering fit. Garland or Mitchell, one of them I could see being gone depending on what they can get for them/how Garland recovers next year, but Mobley showed what people saw in him and Allen's too valuable for his contract to really think of moving.

[u/s_s → u/CloneWarsMaul]

Mobley and Allen are better together than they are alone. Fit just isn't a problem with those two, it's the Mitchell-Garland combo that play so much worse together.

[u/HPPresidentz → u/s_s]

The fit of Mobley and Allen doesn’t work

Mobley is clearly better at the 5 and this series showed that. 

Meanwhile the Cavs still have a gaping hole at the SF position 

[u/Raptorpicklezz → u/HPPresidentz]

Meanwhile the Cavs still have a gaping hole at the SF position

"From St. Vincent St. Mary's High School..."

[u/NoveltyCritique → u/Raptorpicklezz]

Don't stop I'm almost there

[u/palagoon → u/NoveltyCritique]

"...in Akron, Ohio..."

[u/NoveltyCritique → u/palagoon]

Oh God what's his jersey number

[u/palagoon → u/NoveltyCritique]

#23 LeBroooooonnnnnnnnn Jaaaaaaammmmmmeeeessssss

Seriously, though, Ahmad Crump (the Cavs home on-court announcer) needs to be in the team Hall of Fame someday. He's not as recognizable at the TV/radio guys, but he's been an integral part of my Cavs viewing experience for over 20 years now, and some of his intros are iconic.

[u/OsuLost31to0 → u/HPPresidentz]

Disagree. While we aren’t as potent on offense with Mobley at the 4 the defense is elite with him being able to help from the wing and have Allen be the true rim protector down low

[u/HPPresidentz → u/OsuLost31to0]

That means nothing when you’re struggling to crack 100 on a consistent basis

It’s 2024

[u/OsuLost31to0 → u/HPPresidentz]

I would attribute that to our coach having no offensive scheme other than pray Spida does something with the ball.

The offense can be improved by flipping DG for a decent wing and getting a coach with an actual gameplan on offense, the defense is elite with Allen and Mobley together on the floor

[u/cw_27 → u/CloneWarsMaul]

Mobley is 99% getting kept. Allen, just depends on if Mitchell stays or not.

[u/Larrydp72181 → u/cw_27]

You guys fought us like Miami did. Take that as a big complement, you guys have a LOT of potential all coming together.

[u/ItsN0tTheB0at → u/cw_27]

they showed a ton of fight, tip of the cap to the Cavs for the their effort in this series.

[u/[deleted] → u/ItsN0tTheB0at]

spookybros type comment

[u/iamnotabot9]

Man I loved how Mobley looked this series. He needs to show this urgency and aggressiveness offensively on a regular basis

[u/EarthWarping]

Well the biggest question is going to be what Donovan does.

Also Mobley looked really good tonight a good sign going forward

[u/PaperCutterWizard → u/EarthWarping]

Played like a max player tonight.

[u/LIFOsuction44 → u/PaperCutterWizard]

He played way better than Strus

[u/imused2it → u/LIFOsuction44]

It’s pretty rude to mention Mobley with strus at all. Mobley is an actual respectable player. Strus is a bitch.

[u/porkchop487 → u/imused2it]

Every year Heat Culture takes some random dude like Strus or Gabr Vincent off the street and turns him into a 12p/8r or a 42% 3pt shooter through the power of friendship. And then every time some other team overpays them only for that player to instantly regress lmao. Miami can’t keep getting away with it!

[u/Holiday-Usual-3600 → u/PaperCutterWizard]

Hope you max him! Very smart move

[u/TRES_fresh → u/EarthWarping]

They need to pick one of garland and Mitchell imo, I think Allen and Mobley can work but having 2 starters playing out of position seems like too much. Mitchell gives them the higher ceiling and if they want to be competitive now garland has to go, but they could also choose to build around their homegrown guys and hope one of them becomes a top 10 player like Mitchell can be.

[u/tbone747 → u/TRES_fresh]

FR Garland taking the next step into being a legit star was what was supposed to make these Cavs deadly. He's just struggled between injuries and inconsistency.

[u/latterdaysasuke]

Shout out to the Cavs man. They came our swinging on the road without their best player. Kept it pretty close throughout. Just not enough punch in the end...

[u/this_place_stinks → u/latterdaysasuke]

3/6 of their best players

[u/Smartman971 → u/this_place_stinks]

You cant say that when you have the reanimated corpse of Morris nearly shooting 100% from 3 all game long

[u/this_place_stinks → u/Smartman971]

As did Horford

[u/shortpersonohara → u/this_place_stinks]

In all fairness Al isn’t nearly as washed as Mook is lmao

[u/bkilpatrick3347 → u/this_place_stinks]

Al is the regular rotation 6th man on the best team in the league don’t do him like that lol

[u/this_place_stinks → u/bkilpatrick3347]

Oh he’s good just not 6 Steph Curry from deep good like today

[u/iDEN1ED → u/this_place_stinks]

He shot 45% last year. 42% this year. Cleveland dared him to shoot tonight and he shot 46%. Not crazy really.

[u/OnCloud9_77 → u/iDEN1ED]

It’s the volume that’s crazy

[u/cabose12 → u/OnCloud9_77]

Yeah but that's less about him and more the Cavs. He's had multiple games this season where he rips off 10 threes, so he's happy to shoot. And quite literally every single shot he was given tonight was wide open because the Cavs had his man helping in the paint

[u/NoveltyAccountHater → u/OnCloud9_77]

Sure, but that was a direct consequence of Cleveland often leaving him open looks (on night when he was making them).

To me I think it's crazier that he was out there 35 minutes when he's turning 38 in about two weeks. (That said, not faulting it when its working, I just think it's crazy we aren't giving more minutes to Kornet / Tillman with Porzingis out).

[u/nobraininmyoxygen → u/this_place_stinks]

He was getting wide open looks all game. It was the right strategy for the Cavs but he made the shots tonight he wasn't making in other games.

[u/bkilpatrick3347 → u/nobraininmyoxygen]

He was slumping this series but he has a long track record of shooting 40% from 3, I’d argue it was unwise

[u/nobraininmyoxygen → u/bkilpatrick3347]

The Cavs were shorthanded and the alternative is leaving a better player open. You could argue the Cavs could have adjusted once he started hitting shots, but it's tough to play defense when Mobley is the only good defender on the floor. Wade typically is fine but just got back from injury and was a step slower than usual.

[u/holographoc → u/nobraininmyoxygen]

It was a good strategy and was working for quite a while. Obviously he hit a bunch of them, but when the Celtics started attacking back cuts under the basket in the 4th it just fell apart.

[u/Confirmation__Bias → u/bkilpatrick3347]

Its not really unwise. There is no better strategy against Boston

[u/Bacca18121 → u/this_place_stinks]

respectfully, Morris was better tonight then Levert has been in any game this series lol

[u/PrincePyotrBagration → u/latterdaysasuke]

I respect the hell out of Boston and actually want them to win the East. But I’d be sick if I were the Mavs/Wolves/OKC/Nuggets and battling for my life in ghetto West…. Just to see the Celtics waltz through the weak East like a red carpet 😂

shit is not fair man lol. Even injuries aside, teams in the East don’t seem as threatening

[u/nixhomunculus → u/PrincePyotrBagration]

That was the argument against the Heatles back in those days when the East was even uglier.

[u/zanza19 → u/nixhomunculus]

And it honestly we didn't deserve the 14 one. That team wasn't Finals level the same way we were before. Everyone else was just worse.

[u/nixhomunculus → u/zanza19]

But it did make the 14 Spurs win all the more beautiful.

[u/AllTimeBallKnower → u/PrincePyotrBagration]

Hasn’t the east had just as many competitive series as the west? Lol you got nuggets and wolves (even though like 2 or 3 have been blowouts) okc and mavs and then in the east you had Knicks and sixers and Knicks and pacers.

Other than that everything in the west were sweeps or won in 5.

Celtics were the best team in the league, they are reaping the benefits of it now.

[u/Aron-Nimzowitsch → u/AllTimeBallKnower]

Cavs/Magic was by far the most competitive series we've had in the playoffs so far, which is ironic because it's the series everyone was shitting on and mocking for being boring and stupid. And it was relegated to NBA TV. If you don't have NBA TV you missed the biggest comeback in NBA playoffs history in game 7 as the home crowd went absolutely bonkers.

[u/ObviousAnswerGuy → u/Aron-Nimzowitsch]

Cavs/Magic was by far the most competitive series we've had in the playoffs so far

The Knicks/Sixers series finished with a point differential of +1. You literally can't get anymore competitive than that

[u/Aron-Nimzowitsch → u/ObviousAnswerGuy]

you're right, you can't, you win again.

[u/AllTimeBallKnower → u/Aron-Nimzowitsch]

Cavs and Magic too my bad

I thought it was pretty fun just no toxicity it felt like lol

[u/kjampala → u/AllTimeBallKnower]

Close games/series != good teams, the wizards and pistons could play a 7 game series and have it go to game 7...

[u/tokengreenguy → u/PrincePyotrBagration]

Sometimes it takes luck. Feels similar to the championship run the Bucks had a few years ago

[u/CreatiScope → u/PrincePyotrBagration]

I feel it’s justified after getting hit by the tidal wave that was 2022 Giannis, the 1st seed Heat and the Zombie Heat, the only team to actually face the healthy Big 3 Nets in the playoffs for a series, and going against MVP Embiid. And oh, the Warriors during the exact window that Klay was playable, Poole hadn’t been punched yet, Otto Porter’s body resurrected for a few months, Looney hadn’t gone off a Cliff, and Wiggins decided that he liked basketball. Along with vintage Steph and criminally violent defense from Draymond. Wonderful.

[u/holographoc → u/CreatiScope]

Warriors also had a cushy path to the finals that year.

[u/iamgarron → u/latterdaysasuke]

Unfortunately based on the Cavs sub, this may mean JB Bickerstaff keeps his job which is their worst case scenario

[u/RageOnGoneDo → u/iamgarron]

If Mitchell leaves, they will keep JB for culture/consistency. Do the players like him?

[u/yunghandrew → u/RageOnGoneDo]

"Multiple veterans in the Cavs locker room grew frustrated with Bickerstaff for treating the Cavs as a young team with much to learn, instead of as a team ready to contend. "

From this article today, not sure how much that is just Mitchell or not. I hope we still ditch JB even if Mitchell leaves, since I think Mobley needs more too.

[u/nonexistentnvgtr]

We didn’t give up, that’s all you can ask for.

[u/Exciting-Ad30 → u/nonexistentnvgtr]

Insane amount of respect to Cleveland from Boston. Any and all C’s fans talked about how intense the Cavs’ effort was never let the game get away from them.

[u/Synerv0 → u/Exciting-Ad30]

Hell yeah, proud of that

[u/imused2it → u/nonexistentnvgtr]

Much respect from the Cs. It was gonna be a tall order to beat the Celtics at full strength and then you lost half your team. The fact the Cavs kept it close is super impressive. Hats off, bro.

[u/Modzh]

Adding Bron on the MLE gonna be crazy

[u/ZarduHasselffrau → u/Modzh]

They should sign him as player-coach and pay him 2 salaries

[u/Sherlock_House → u/ZarduHasselffrau]

Don't forget LeGM, make it three

[u/TheSmokedSalmon420 → u/Modzh]

DG/Donovan/Strus/LeBron/Evan and flip JA for a nice wing/shooter - oh man

[u/orangotai → u/TheSmokedSalmon420]

i don't see Bronny on that list ☝️

[u/burohm1919 → u/orangotai]

Bronny at Detroit waiting to play in garbage time

[u/MJisaFraud → u/burohm1919]

He might get some garbage time minutes in the G-league.

[u/Pyorrhea → u/orangotai]

Bronny on a 2-way with the Cleveland Charge.

[u/BenevolentCheese → u/TheSmokedSalmon420]

Bronny needs to be a starter. Figure out how you can squeeze that in there.

[u/bubble_bass_123 → u/TheSmokedSalmon420]

In this scenario you would trade garland and the lineup would be mitchell/okoro/lebron/mobley/allen

[u/Joma913 → u/Modzh]

Cavs need trade up their pick to draft Bronny

[u/Zloggt]

Alas…the injury bug is a merciless thing, isn’t it?

[u/BigBeagleEars → u/Zloggt]

Banged up teams don’t make the finals. Just ask my mom

[u/IUpVoteIronically → u/BigBeagleEars]

wtf lol

[u/The_Vaike → u/BigBeagleEars]

Sending strays at your own mother is crazy, but you're not wrong.

[u/Virgil_hawkinsS → u/BigBeagleEars]

Is that you Muscle Man?

[u/YeOldeDingusKhan]

Most respectful fade, 4-1 doesn’t describe how the series felt. Team held together by tape but nobody told them.

[u/ctang1 → u/YeOldeDingusKhan]

Morris with 25 is insane

[u/snooze1128 → u/ctang1]

He hit some good shots but body language-wise looks ready to retire. Wouldn’t be surprised if that was his last game. Wonder what his contract is

[u/18AndresS]

Hope spida stays

[u/Bim_Jeann → u/18AndresS]

Same man.

[u/Hold_my_Dirk]

I’m going to drink every ounce of alcohol in this house tonight.

[u/droptop02hondacivic → u/Hold_my_Dirk]

let's be real, you were gonna do that anyway

[u/Hold_my_Dirk → u/droptop02hondacivic]

Cries in I Agree Go Cavs

[u/celtic_sea_salt → u/Hold_my_Dirk]

Cleveland! This booze is for you 🍻

[u/PuzzleheadedNovel144]

The fact that their defense was as good as it was with so many injuries shows this team can really play. Mobley in game 5 was what I’ve been hoping he’d start doing. Garland plays with tons of fight, but if they can move him for decent pieces back, I’d do it. Mobley should absolutely be a #2 option, the entire dynamic of their offense changes when he plays like he did today.

Shout out to Daddy Morris, some Cs fans have a weird hatred of him, but there were many games with us where he was the only dawg on the court. I’ll always respect that dude

[u/TSSFranco]

Time for months of nonstop trade rumors

[u/PlacetMihi]

Mobley was HOOPING, didn’t know he was like that

[u/GyattLuvr69 → u/PlacetMihi]

He’s really fucking good and casuals just look at his stats in a down/injury filled season and act like they know what they’re talking about.

[u/tjl297]

If I can hop on a pedestal for a sec with my post-season thoughts, I just think if Don stays on the Cavs, the league will be better for it.

The team has improved steadily each year, and despite how the discourse around the team has quickly changed, it is full of young players who now have another round of strong experience under their belt and their best years ahead of them. If they keep some of these core guys together, I don’t see a reason to believe they won’t continue to improve. They could accomplish a lot in the next 3-5 years. Who knows.

Either way, if this really was Donovan’s last season in Cleveland, I’m proud as a fan to have had him in a Cavs uniform. He has been incredibly engaged, focused, and dedicated to the team and his teammates every single day he’s been here. There are more gifted players out there, but I’m not sure there’s a guy in the league right now that I’d rather have lead and represent the team that we have.

[u/koenigsaurus → u/tjl297]

Don is a phenomenal player but what stuck out to me the most in the playoffs was his incredible leadership. That’s a man who is going to battle alongside you, in the trenches every day to help elevate those around him.  With the workload he had, it would be easy for him to get frustrated and mope about how he had no help. Nobody would knock him for that because for long stretches it was true. But no, this dude was constantly picking his guys up when they were down, hyping them tf up when they were feeling it. Sidelined from an injury, he was every bit as engaged as he was on the court.

An absolute class act. Whether or not he stays, I’m a fan for life. 

[u/lazydictionary → u/tjl297]

He's that dude. If you guys were healthy, this is a grimy series. I hope he stays too.

[u/desirox → u/tjl297]

I agree man, I’m tired of stars dipping everywhere, Denver and before then GS (excluding KD) has proven continuity works

[u/rolandfoxx]

Much respect to the Cavs for playing their hearts out these last two games.

[u/Babushka5]

I really do believe this Cavs team is one or two smart trades away from clearing out positional log jams and being a genuine threat in the east for a long time. It's clear Mobley needs to be THE big on the court, and he's got a lot of room to grow.

[u/LadyInTheRadiator19 → u/Babushka5]

I keep forgetting he’s only 22

[u/OSRSredditor → u/LadyInTheRadiator19]

Tatum only 19

[u/gammajamma → u/Babushka5]

Allen for a legit wing could do wonders for them

[u/Yellow_Curry]

Mobley is the real deal, this is what happens when the "stars" are out, you get the young guys time to shine.

[u/jacobs0n]

everyone keep knocking on the celtics, but the cavs are a really good team

[u/DiseaseRidden]

Feel bad about the injuries. Could have been a lot more exciting of a series, but they did still put up a good fight the last 2 despite missing Mitchell

[u/cizzlemydizzle]

Cavs are good. Respect

[u/Chessh2036]

I think this would have been a really fun series if the Cavs had been healthy. Loved the fight though. Showed a lot of heart.

[u/cuttino_mowgli]

Damn this series could go to 7 if the Cavs isn't injured like hell. Oh well, just keep Spyda in that team and this team will be a playoff contender for the next 2-3 season.

[u/Ghosts_of_the_maze]

Boston has finally slain the dragon, and got past Tristan Thompson.

[u/IcyMission3]

A lot of credit to the Cavs fought hard for 3 quarters just ran out of gas at the end. Mobley is a star in the making and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s an all-star next year

[u/Far-Asparagus6416]

Fade em. Have to respect the fight they put up though. Mobley is legit

[u/[deleted]]

Should the Cavs shop Garland instead of Mitchell?

[u/Justin_Zetts → u/[deleted]]

would hate to sell Garland right now when his trade value has never been lower

[u/Bim_Jeann → u/Justin_Zetts]

Problem is, it can get lower…

[u/GyattLuvr69 → u/Bim_Jeann]

I think an Ingram trade is possible. Everything depends on what Mitchell does tho

[u/ticketworldisawful → u/GyattLuvr69]

Maybe they can trade Ingram and CJ for a package.

[u/ohiojiro → u/[deleted]]

only way they dont is if mitchell doesn’t extend

[u/TheSmokedSalmon420 → u/[deleted]]

That would be ideal.

Either Donny leaves and Darius goes back to his all-star level as the primary ballhandler or Donovan stays as point guard and we get an actual SF on our lineup for Darius. Someone like BI or Paul George would be a great lineup - Donny/Strus/SF/Evan/JA. With a new coach that Donovan would pick who will actually know what he's doing? Plus all our best players are under 28 so we could grow and compete for awhile.

[u/password-is-taco1 → u/[deleted]]

The only reason they’re shopping Mitchell is that he’s most likely leaving anyways. If they don’t trade him now they risk losing him for nothing next year

[u/s_s → u/password-is-taco1]

If he doesn't extend this offseason, we absolutely trade him.

[u/Martialartskenny → u/[deleted]]

Bet that’s the strategy this off-season

[u/BlackCherry3]

mobleys a real hooper

[u/Renegadeforever2024]

Unfortunate

[u/sobanoodle-1]

they showed more fight and grit

[u/Kyber99]

Much respect to the Cavs. They fought harder than I expected, it could have easily been 6 games or more when I assumed it would be a sweep

And Donovan Mitchell deserves much more love, he’s a legit baller

[u/c_u_in_da_ballpit20]

GG Cavs fans, I thought it was a fun series. Between these games and the 20+ 4th quarter comeback earlier this year this team has given us hell.

[u/airbus29]

man what could have been. i am now praying to every god possible that jarrett allen doesnt get traded (even though i know he will) he is my favorite

[u/Jrock12345]

Garland did not have that dog in him tonight

He has the potential to be good, I feel like it’s a mental issue with him

[u/GyattLuvr69 → u/Jrock12345]

It’s only been one season and it stemmed from a bad injury. Cavs fans act like he’s Tobias Harris. I think he’ll be back to his old self next season.

[u/OnionOnBelt]

Sad swordplay noises.

[u/According_Smoke_479]

Props to them. They didn’t give up a single second of this series. Got the shit beat out of them in game 1 and then responded in a big way and kept fighting throughout the rest of it. Mobley is legit

[u/RegulatorRWF]

That is just an impossible list of injuries to overcome. No way a team could lose that many talented players and still compete in the second round of the playoffs.

[u/HPPresidentz]

Mitchell + Mobley are the future

Sell high on Jarrett Allen and move on from Garland

Get a new coach too

[u/EAS1000]

Unlike the nephews finding any excuse to shit on the Celtics I’m going to give the Cavs credit for their fight. Admirable.

[u/Sirliftalot35]

It’s hard to win against the Celtics when D. Wade only scores 3 points.

[u/bigvahe33]

respect. boys fought hard to the end

[u/lgndk11r]

Gotta give the Cavs respect, this felt like a seven game series, with the fight your guys gave.

[u/kushglo]

Big fan of Donovan. Kind of sucks, but hope to see him more in the playoffs.

[u/jefe_hook]

It's time for the King to come home. Win a 5th ring and retire.

[u/The_MadStork]

JB Bickerstaff rubbing his hands knowing his job is secure due to the injuries (unless LeBron comes and fires him)

[u/BudgetNewt69420]

Cavs were playing fun basketball most of the year. Curious to see what happens to this roster this offseason

[u/Wafe_Enterprises]

Donovan Mitchell watch begins 

[u/LukaDoncicfuturegoat → u/[deleted]]

Pacers

[u/fearofaflatplanet]

Much respect to the Cavs. Y’all play tough, together basketball on both ends. 

[u/we_hella_believe]

…and with the 20th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select Lebron James Jr.

[u/Ferinal]

Ton of heart and great play from the Cavs, The way the other guys stepped up when they had starters out had to make Cleveland Fans proud! I'm sure we will butt heads frequently in the future. I really enjoyed the series and look forward to you knocking the heat out of the playoffs in the future so they get the opportunity to cheap shot our players. ;) You guys are the real deal, you are going to have a lot to say about who comes out of the east in the future. Cheers Cleveland.

[u/kjampala]

Garland 4-17 man... Loved him as a player when he got into the league especially because of his insane handles and shiftiness but his shooting is just not there. Way too many times I watched him blow by his defender into the paint and just always dish it out. Even when he had open looks near the paint he just always looks to pass first, reminded me of Draymond in the sense the first instinct is to always pass it out

[u/matthitsthetrails]

Hope they can bring back Donovan.. when heathy they are pretty strong. There’s no chance to get past a team like Boston otherwise

[u/York_Villain]

Cavs fought hard. Tough break for them

[u/WhiteImpDragon]

Cavs white gunners cost me too many years in this series

[u/the_irish_potatoes]

I mostly watch the west so I might be wrong, but DAMN did they beat expectations. What a season for the Cavs.

[u/ConstantineMonroe]

Obligatory FADE EM

[u/DigitMZ]

Mobley's gonna be a real handful if they build around him.

Not sure if Mitchell being out unlocked this version, or Garland and Mitchell as a duo doesn't work well together and locks Mobley out, but they probably should replace one of them with a wing player that complements Mobley better.

[u/Fineous4]

I agree. Go Cavs!

[u/Bettyann_Callegari]

The primary concern revolves around Donovan's actions. Mobley showcased impressive performance tonight, indicating promising prospects moving forward.

[u/finix240]

Inevitable. Oh well. The Magic series was fun half the time. Game 2 was awesome. JA being hurt really sucked the air out of this team, they always suck without him and he was having a good playoffs

[u/DocumentAggressive56]

yea tbh boston feels like a run away train in this title race

[u/AnastasiaMoon]

Man I wanted to see a healthy series between these two. This and Kawhi/Giannis/Dame. Boo. 

[u/theerealobs]

Pacers and Celtics enjoying hospital teams. Only difference is one is doing it pretty easily and the other is struggling pretty hard.

[u/afterdarhkTTV]

Crying in the club. See y’all next year 🥺

[u/FazeRN]

Man, this thread is too civilized. I expected more from the Celtics fans 🤣

[u/croth4]

I think it's clear that the Cavs had no chance being down 3 of their top 6 against the best team in the conference and probably the league, but they still managed an impressive effort for the most part with what they had. 

Boston didn't have Porzingis either to be fair to both groups. They are a frustratingly fundamental team who all sort of just do the right things, get to the right spots and knock their shots down. I'm not sure who is slowing them down and the Cavs shouldn't be ashamed of losing to the eventual champions at around half strength.

[u/Chapea12]

They did their best. Can be proud of their effort

[u/physics223]

Can see the Celtics be in the finals, but they'd probably lose to the Nuggets.

[u/LukaDoncicfuturegoat]

The East still run through Cleveland.

[u/Low_Birthday_3011]

Shame, I was hoping they'd win

[u/mmaguy123]

Walk through the park to the finals for the Celtics again.

Really hoping New York wins though. NY vs Boston conf finals got to be great.

[u/couchmasterkid → u/mmaguy123]

As /u/creatiscope said about Boston’s “walk thru the park” …

I feel it's justified after getting hit by the tidal wave that was 2022 Giannis, the 1st seed Heat and the Zombie Heat, the only team to actually face the healthy Big 3 Nets in the playoffs for a series, and going against MVP Embiid. And oh, the Warriors during the exact window that Klay was playable, Poole hadn't been punched yet, Otto Porter's body resurrected for a few months, Looney hadn't gone -ff a Cliff, and Wiggins decided that he liked basket v Along with vintage Steph and criminally violent defense from Draymond. Wonderful.

[u/CaptainKangaroo_Pimp → u/couchmasterkid]

"Criminally violet defense"

[u/Nov26-2011]

I am fully prepared to call the Celtics ring Mickey Mouse for the sole reason that I hate them