Cavs, Donovan Mitchell will face familiar storyline: Nothing matters until May

xxx Donovan Mitchell has seen this movie before. Back in Utah, the Jazz piled up regular-season wins — even leading the NBA in 2020-21 — but never made it beyond the second round. His Cavaliers just put together a 64-win campaign, with Mitchell finishing fifth in MVP voting and Evan Mobley taking home Defensive Player of the Year.

And then? A five-game second-round loss to the Pacers, with the offense grinding to a halt.

So here we are. Mitchell enters Year 4 in Cleveland with the same storyline hanging over him: regular-season success won’t mean a thing unless the Cavs deliver in May, as written by CBS Sports’ James Herbert.

The State of Play

The Cavs had everything going last year — a 15-0 start, Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson, All-NBA nods for Mitchell and Mobley. They even swung a deadline trade for De’Andre Hunter. But by the time the playoffs rolled around, injuries piled up and Indiana ran them out of the building.

The Offseason Moves

Cleveland swapped Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball, re-signed Sam Merrill, and brought Larry Nance Jr. back on a minimum. It’s not flashy, but the Cavs doubled down on defense and role-player depth. Vegas has them at 56.5 wins, second-best in the East.

The Conversation

Cavs believer: Injuries killed them against the Pacers. Garland wasn’t right. Mobley and Hunter both got hurt in Game 1. Mitchell sprained his ankle in Game 4. Context matters. And with Lonzo running the second unit, this roster might be even deeper than last year’s 64-win version. If Mobley takes another leap, why not the Finals?

Cavs skeptic: Injuries or not, they lost in five. Since Mitchell’s been here, they’ve only beaten two lottery-level Florida teams in the playoffs. For a group this talented, that’s underwhelming. Until they prove otherwise, they’re all flash and no finish.

Believer: Don’t forget they swept the Knicks in the regular season. Depth-wise, guys like Merrill, Hunter and Wade give them more than enough cover for Max Strus’ injury. This roster fits, it defends, and it scores. That’s a Finals formula.

Skeptic: We’ve heard this before. If they flame out again, those same questions about the Mitchell-Garland backcourt and Mobley-Allen frontcourt are going to be louder than ever.