The Cleveland Cavaliers woke up Wednesday morning to a harsh reality: a 64‑win season, a shiny Coach of the Year trophy for Kenny Atkinson, and weeks atop the East standings still weren’t enough to buy them more than five second‑round games. The Indiana Pacers — a team they’d beaten only once in eight tries since Halloween — walked out of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with a 114‑105 win and the series in five.

That makes the Cavs only the third team in NBA history to pile up 64 wins and still miss the conference finals, a bit of trivia no one in Cleveland wants framed on the wall. Less than 12 hours after the final buzzer, the entire roster filed through exit interviews to unpack what just happened and — more importantly — what’s next.

The Locker‑Room Mood: Raw Emotion, Zero Spin

Exit‑interview day is typically the NBA’s version of the last day of school — some awkward small talk, a few canned quotes, and a lot of guys mentally booking their offseason trips. But this year in Cleveland, it was nothing like that.

Donovan Mitchell: Frustrated, Accountable, and Still Believing

From the moment Donovan Mitchell walked into the room, it felt different. No forced smiles. No stock phrases. He sat down with his phone loosely gripped in one hand, eyes fixed on the floor, like someone still trying to process the ending of a dream he hadn’t expected to wake up from yet.

Mitchell didn’t bother hiding the sting:

I just couldn't believe it. Didn't wanna believe it, don't wanna believe it. Still don't wanna believe it. It's tough, it's tough to win in this league. Give them credit, we didn't do the things necessary.

That comment hung in the room like fog. Cleveland went 34‑7 in Rocket Mortgage during the regular season, but couldn't defend home court in the conference semifinals. You could feel the emotion coming from Mitchell when he broached the subject:

I love playing in that f*****g arena, man. That energy, that crowd. We were 0-3 at home. We let the city down, man. This place is special. This place is really special. We didn't get it done.

But even as he sat there shaking his head, Mitchell wasn’t about to throw anyone under the bus. He made it crystal clear — this group isn’t falling apart:

I'll go to bat for every guy in that locker room. Winning is not easy. Some things have to go right. You got to play well, got to capitalize on opportunities... We have a window with this group, I believe in everybody in here, we believe in each other... We'll be back.

Garland, Allen & Co. — Same Pain, Different Angles

Jarrett Allen didn’t need to say much to make his point — he’s still riding with this group. After back-to-back second-round exits, you might expect some doubt to creep in. But Allen made it clear that nothing about this season shook his belief in the core. He thinks this team still has the “blueprint” to be a top-tier team. 

Every step you take is tougher than the last.

Then there’s Tristan Thompson. The voice of experience and the locker room’s resident straight shooter, Thompson took a different route—colorful, as always.

You've got to starve before you can eat... We got some hungry motherf*****s.

Darius Garland, for his part, used his time to clear the air. He didn’t dodge the fact that he missed time during the series, but he wanted people to understand it wasn’t because he didn’t want to be out there. It was a legit toe injury that kept him sidelined, not a question of toughness or desire. The criticism clearly hit a nerve, and Garland took his moment to set the record straight.

I definitely wasn't myself out there, wasn't comfortable. But like I said, trying to do anything to win the game.

Mobley, who played Games 3‑5 on a balky knee, immediately slapped the crutch away:

That's just the playoffs—everyone gets hurt.

Coach of the Year Keeps It Real

Kenny Atkinson’s pressers usually have that calm, thoughtful tone — like a guy explaining game film to a classroom. But on Tuesday night, after getting bounced earlier than anyone expected, that calm was gone. He didn’t sugarcoat it or try to spin things. He sounded more like a frustrated gym teacher watching his kids jog through a drill they should’ve nailed months ago.

He acknowledged the obvious — yes, they were banged up. Yes, injuries played a role. But he shut down any idea that it should be a crutch. “Not an excuse,” he said bluntly, before giving credit where it was due. "They were the better team." More aggressive. More connected. They brought the fight, and Cleveland couldn’t match it.

Atkinson’s verdict on a 64‑win campaign?

I do feel like we got better. From the team aspect and then we had a lot of individuals make a step, so I just want to make that clear. But the truth of the matter is we didn't get to the level we wanted to get to. So, I'm not pleased with that. And we're not celebrating the season, if that all makes sense. But I do think we made strides. I think we took a jump. Now we got to figure out this last piece, how to get over this hump. And I was quite honestly expecting more, especially coming off the Miami series.

Hard to argue. Cleveland finished second in offensive rating and sixth in defense in the regular season but looked disjointed whenever Indiana cranked up full‑court pressure. A team that averaged 28 assists shrank to 21 per night in the series and, as Kendrick Perkins said on ESPN, played “so soft.”

Fixing What’s Broken Without Blowing It Up

The Money Crunch

Thanks to max deals for Mitchell and Mobley, Jarrett Allen’s three‑year, $90 million extension, and Garland already on a five‑year pact, Cleveland is sailing straight for the first luxury‑tax apron. New CBA rules mean living above that line kills flexibility — no midseason trades, no sign‑and‑trades, no taxpayer MLE.

Run It Back or Re‑Route?

Most league insiders expect the “core four” (Mitchell, Garland, Mobley, Allen) to stay **intact **— at least through next February’s deadline. But there are some harsh realities that they're going to have to face:

1. Roster Balance. The Allen‑Mobley frontcourt still struggles to space the floor. Opponents pack the paint, and the Cavs’ assist rate drops seven points when the two share the court. Some execs think Allen could become a cap casualty if the right stretch‑big becomes available.

2. Garland’s Extension Window. Garland can tack on two years and $128 million starting July 8. If he hesitates — or if the team doesn't feel like paying the steeper tax bills — his name will dominate trade rumors. Minnesota, San Antonio, and Brooklyn have already been floated as potential suitors.

Turning 64 Wins into Something More

Cleveland’s season will be remembered as a weird, frustrating mix of dominance and disappointment. They rolled through the regular season with 64 wins — tied for the most in franchise history — and at times looked like one of the most complete teams in the league. But then they ran into the Pacers and suddenly forgot how to win at home. Counting the regular season, they went 0-5 in their own building against Indiana. That just doesn’t happen to teams with championship aspirations.

Now comes the part that really matters: how do they back that up? Because in the NBA, nothing stands still. The tax rules are tight, the expectations are high, and this young core isn’t going to stay together forever just because it could work. They’ve got to make it work. Fast.

Maybe that means staying the course and seeing what another year of growth looks like. Maybe it means some tough choices. But one thing's clear — no more moral victories. No more “we made strides” banners. This group has to turn all that regular-season hype into a postseason run that actually goes somewhere.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com.