Insider Exposes What No One Wants to Hear About Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers were bounced from the second round of the NBA playoffs yet again this year, falling to the Indiana Pacers in five games in an excruciating series.

Now, the Cavaliers' impressive 64-win regular season feels like a complete waste, as they will have to navigate the offseason to see how they can improve their roster while not burying themselves under the luxury tax.

But perhaps it isn't even about talent for Cleveland. Maybe it's about something else?

Jason Lloyd of The Athletic has exposed a harsh reality for the Cavs following their playoff exit, essentially saying that they simply aren't rugged enough to make a deep postseason run.

"There is a toughness factor to this team that is painfully absent," Lloyd wrote. "The Cavs have been called soft in various ways for a few years now, but the chorus is only growing louder. From the way they handle injuries to the way the Indiana Pacers pushed them around in this five-game series, there’s a necessary level of nasty that is missing from this team."

Donovan Mitchell joined the Cavaliers via trade with the Utah Jazz three years ago, and in all three seasons, Cleveland has failed to make it past the second round of the playoffs.

Something is obviously wrong here, and Lloyd feels that the Cavs' lack of toughness could be the primary culprit. For example, Darius Garland sat out the first couple of games of the series due to a toe injury, and we all know how heavily Jarrett Allen was criticized for missing time due to his rib injury last spring.

Mental fortitude also plays a role here, and it definitely seemed like the Cavs folded in the most crucial moments of this series against the Pacers.

Whatever the case may be, the Cavaliers will certainly have a whole lot of soul searching to do this summer.

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