Donovan Mitchell Says Cavs 'F--ked Up,' Reflects on 2025 NBA Playoff Loss

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers put together one of their best regular seasons in franchise history last year, going 64-18 to earn the top seed in the East.

But they failed to live up to their lofty playoff expectations, losing to the Indiana Pacers in five games in the second round. Reflecting on last season, Mitchell recognized that Cleveland dropped the ball.

"Understanding that hey, this happened and we f--ked up," Mitchell told ESPN's Jamal Collier. "Now it's like, 'OK, how do we not f--k up the next time?"

Cleveland lost some talent this offseason, namely Sixth Man of the Year candidate Ty Jerome, but the Cavs still have their core of Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. When healthy, that trio can compete with any team in the NBA.

Unlike last year, when Cleveland started the year 15-0, the Cavs are off to a shaky 4-3 start, but Garland has yet to make his season debut while recovering from a toe injury.

The Cavaliers will look to avoid peaking in the regular season, like they did last year, and make a deep run through a relatively weak Eastern Conference.