Cavaliers Receive Harsh Truth From Former NBA Champion

Despite dominating the 2024-25 NBA regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers fell short in the playoffs. Kenny Atkinson’s team was eliminated in the second round by the Indiana Pacers.

That’s why former NBA champion turned ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes regular-season success won’t cut it for the Cavaliers next season. Perkins noted that a Donovan Mitchell-led Cavaliers team is yet to make a run to the Conference Finals.

“And they should be the favorites, right?” Perkins said in a recent episode of ESPN’s NBA Today.” “And that’s why I said, unfortunately, whatever they do in the regular season, they could win 70 games; no one’s going to give a damn. They’re going to be– we’re going to evaluate them, what they do in the postseason– because, again, a Donovan Mitchell-led team has never been to a conference finals.”

Perkins, who won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, wants to see Cleveland prove its credentials during the playoffs. Currently, the Cavaliers project as a strong regular-season team, but also as a team that struggles once the lights begin to shine brightly.

Koby Altman has added Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr. to the roster this summer. The hope is that both veterans can help improve the Cavaliers’ perimeter defense, along with mid-season addition De’Andre Hunter.

Cavaliers Need to Stay Healthy to Compete

In recent years, injury issues have played a part in the Cavaliers’ postseason exits. Darius Garland‘s toe injury that helped derail Atkinson’s roster in the 2025 postseason and ultimately led to the team falling short.

In a recent article for ESPN, long-time analyst Tim Bontemps pinpointed Cleveland’s health as the biggest swing factor in their bid for championship success.

“For as brilliant as Cleveland’s season was last in 2024-25, it ended in the same manner that the previous two did: a disappointing exit from the playoffs in five games,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps wrote. “And though Cleveland’s core four — Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — are all under 30, history has told us that injuries, even for a young roster, are something to monitor once spring arrives.”

Atkinson may choose to manage his star’s minutes more carefully in the upcoming season. Maybe then, the Cavaliers can stay healthy once the grind of the playoffs gets underway.

Cavaliers Confident They Can Win a Championship

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com discussed the confidence within the franchise during a recent episode of the “Wine and Gold” podcast.

“There’s a lot of confidence from Kenny, and there’s a lot of confidence from people inside this organization that the Cavs are ready to compete for a championship,” Fedor said. “And they do believe that they learned what they needed to learn. We’ll see — has to play itself out. But they do believe they learned what they needed to learn from the latest playoff exit.”

If healthy, Cleveland has all the talent needed to be among the NBA’s top contenders. Atkinson has also proven himself to be a high-level coach. As such, Cleveland’s confidence is well-placed. However, they will need to prove they can handle the pressure and expectations that come with being a contending team.

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