Max Strus Sends Touching Message to Cleveland Cavaliers Fans

The message caps a frustrating conclusion to what began as Cleveland’s most promising campaign in years. The Cavaliers entered the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s top seed after posting a 64-18 regular season record, but Indiana eliminated them 4-1 in the conference semifinals.

Strus, who joined Cleveland after helping the Miami Heat reach the 2022-23 NBA Finals, endured a particularly difficult Game 5 performance. The veteran guard went scoreless, missing all nine of his shot attempts in the season-ending defeat. Before the game, Strus attempted to motivate his teammates with a group text message stating, “If you don’t believe, don’t show up for work”

During exit interviews, Strus emphasized the need for Cleveland to develop greater mental and physical toughness moving forward. “To me, we’ve got to get tougher,” he told reporters. “Physically and mentally. We can talk about it, but we have to be about it.” Strus added, “Nobody is going to talk about our regular season, as they shouldn’t.”

Despite the disappointing finish, the Cavaliers showed promise under first-year head coach Kenny Atkinson, who earned both NBCA Coach of the Year and NBA Coach of the Year honors. His tenure began with a 15-game winning streak to kick off Cleveland’s historic regular season.

The Cavs swept Miami in the first round before falling to Indiana, marking the second consecutive year Cleveland has been eliminated in the conference semifinals. For Strus, who experienced deep playoff runs with the Heat, the early exit represents a missed opportunity for a franchise seeking its first championship since 2016.

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