Latest news with #ClevelandCavaliers'
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
'It's going to eat at us'- Cleveland Cavaliers' president Koby Altman addresses key mistakes during series against Indiana Pacers
Cleveland Cavaliers' president Koby Altman addresses team's goal for the next season (Image Source: Getty) For the Cleveland Cavaliers , this regular season has been pretty strong. But they did face a disappointing playoff exit. For fans, players, and team staff, everybody has been upset about it. While the team has a lot of talent, including three All-Stars and the Defensive Player of the Year, the issue pertains to salary cap, and it will be hard for them to make big changes this offseason, but the team shouldn't have to face any consequences. Team president Koby Altman addressed a press conference regarding the team's performance so far. Koby Altman says focusing on performing better for next season The Cleveland Cavaliers' president Koby Altman addressed a press conference on Monday, where he said the Cavaliers need to focus on improving certain areas to perform better in the playoffs and go further next season. undefined Koby Altman said, "I think there's a mental toughness that you have to get by going through these failures in the playoffs, I think people speak to the physicality - It was a physical, physical series against the Pacers. But watch every single series, they're all physical. They're all grabbing hold. They're all pushing from afar.' Further, he explained 'mental toughness' matters the most. He said: "There's a mental toughness that we're going to have to get to that a lot of the Pacers had. At the end of some of those games [against the Pacers], that's what we saw. They made those winning plays at the end, They made those winning plays at the end. And as much as we won the possession battle, and dominated the possession battle throughout the playoffs, that one foul-line blockout at the end of Game 2, right? That's a level of focus and winning that we have to get to, and it's going to eat at us,' Altman added. He explained, 'We've become very, very good at the regular season, Eight-two games. We've been brilliant [in the last three years]. ... Now the next is, we need to figure out how to win at the highest level when everyone's juices are up, when everyone's competing at the highest level, it's more physical.' While talking from a performance standpoint, he said: 'The hard part was the plan that we laid out over the course of the year was phenomenal from a performance standpoint, The year before, we were limping into the playoffs. We didn't want that. So minutes came down. Let's elevate them at the end of the year, let's have some ramp-up. Let's be our best heading into the playoffs, and we were in the first round," he said. Also Read: Tyrese Haliburton Shuts Down Haters With Playoff Heroics—LeBron James Backs Him Up: 'Super Cool' Koby Altman praised the team's efforts for the phenomenal performance, despite all struggles. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA playoffs: Donovan Mitchell returns to court to sit on bench an hour after Cavaliers eliminated: 'We'll be back'
Donovan Mitchell was incredibly emotional about the Cleveland Cavaliers' season, one of the best ones in team history that ended abruptly Tuesday night. The Indiana Pacers held on late to beat the Cavaliers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, which gave them the 4-1 series win and secured their second straight trip to the conference finals. That left Mitchell and the Cavaliers, who had earned the top seed in the conference, heading home early. Advertisement An hour after the game ended, Mitchell returned to the court to sit on the bench. 'I just couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it, don't want to believe it, still don't want to believe it,' Mitchell said. 'It's tough. It's tough to win in this league … We didn't get it done, especially at home. That's what hurts, you know?' Mitchell had a game-high 35 points and nine rebounds in the final loss. He averaged 34.2 points throughout the series, and he battled an apparent ankle injury in Cleveland's last two games. He left Game 5 briefly after missing the entire second half of Game 4 with the same issue Sunday. Mitchell, 28, signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension with the team last summer. While it's hard to consider a trip to the second round of the playoffs as a failure, it's easy to see why many might view this season as just that for Cleveland. The Cavaliers, after starting out the season with 15 straight wins, won 64 games in the regular season. That's the second-highest in team history, and the franchise's third 60-win season. Advertisement But the Cavaliers fell completely flat in their series with the Pacers, who won all three of the games at Rocket Arena in Ohio and had little issue getting the win. To make matters worse for Mitchell, he's never made it to a conference finals in his career, as ESPN's Kendrick Perkins quickly pointed out on social media. He lost twice in this round with the Utah Jazz. Despite the loss, and the criticism that's sure to come in the coming days and weeks, Mitchell isn't giving up hope just yet. He, along with team owner Dan Gilbert, vowed to run it back.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cameron Knupp live pregame coverage ahead of Cavs-Pacers second round playoff game
JET-24 sports reporter Cameron Knupp has live pregame reports ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2025 NBA eastern conference semifinals game five matchup with the Indiana Pacers from Rocket Arena. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
'We've seen it done before' — Darius Garland drops motivational statement before Game 5 vs Indiana Pacers
With the Cleveland Cavaliers on the edge of Eastern Conference Semifinals , their point guard Darius Garland is trying to rally his team by preaching resilience. Down 3-1 playing against Indiana Pacers , Garland takes cue from Cavaliers' historic 2016 comeback. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now With the team getting ready for Game 5 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, nothing is more important than the leadership and the belief of a turnaround of Garland. With Donovan Mitchell 's status being up in the air due to an ankle, Garland's position only becomes that much more vital in this must-win situation. Darius Garland channels 2016 Cavaliers spirit ahead of Game 5 showdown In the face of adversity, Darius Garland is invoking the Cleveland Cavaliers' storied past to inspire a present-day comeback. "This franchise has done it before," Garland stated, referencing the team's legendary 2016 Finals rally against the Golden State Warriors. "We've seen it done before. This group is always competing at a high level. It doesn't matter what circumstance it is. So, go out there with a chip on our shoulder and a lot of desperation. That's what we have to do. We've got to keep that in our mind and see where that goes." Darius Garland says Cleveland has comeback before 👀 Garland's confidence is backed by his performance. Despite a toe injury, he has returned to contribute significantly, scoring 21 points and providing six assists in Game 4. Throughout the 2024-25 regular season, Garland averaged 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, and shot 47.2% from the field, including 40.1% from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers' challenge is compounded by Donovan Mitchell's uncertain status. Mitchell aggravated a left ankle injury in Game 4 and is listed as questionable for Game 5. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He participated in the team's shootaround on Tuesday morning, and his status will be a game-time decision. Game 5 is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The Cavaliers, who finished the regular season with a 64-18 record, are looking to avoid elimination and force a Game 6 back in Indiana. Also Read: At this crucial turning point in their playoff campaign, the support provided by the Darius Garland's leadership, and faith in himself and the team to prevail over a crisis, are key to the Cleveland Cavaliers' hopes. With the possible absence of Donovan Mitchell, Garland's game and motivational presence can be the spark that the Cavaliers need to extend the series and keep their championship dream a dream.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Donovan Mitchell, ex-Louisville basketball star, has night to remember vs Indiana Pacers
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability subject to change. The Cleveland Cavaliers' loss to the Indiana Pacers on May 6 wasn't for lack of effort on Donovan Mitchell's part. Despite playing through a calf strain, according to The Athletic, the former Louisville men's basketball guard had 48 points, nine assists and five rebounds in the 120-119 defeat. With the loss, the Cavs dropped to 0-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. Mitchell scored 21 points and contributed to 15 more points via assists to help the Cavs to a 61-50 lead at halftime. After his 33-point series opener against the Pacers, Mitchell joined LeBron James as the only two Cavaliers with at least three 30-plus-point games in the first five games of the postseason. Advertisement Cleveland and Indiana are set for Game 3 of the series at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Indianapolis. Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@ and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NBA playoffs 2025: Donovan Mitchell has incredible game in Cavs' loss
