Donovan Mitchell On Cavs’ Disappointing Season: ‘Let City Down’

Donovan Mitchell and the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers saw their 64-win season come to an end Tuesday night as they fell to the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers and lost the Eastern Conference semifinal series 4-1.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” Mitchell said following the Cavs’ season-ending 114-105 loss in Game 5. “Didn’t want to believe it. Don’t want to believe it. Still don’t want to believe it.”

The Cavaliers were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after finishing the regular season with a 64-18 record, which was the second-best in the league behind just the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Donovan Mitchell on the Cavaliers losing in 5 games against the Indiana Pacers:

“Y’all gonna write us the fuck off man. But will be back. We let the city down, we let each other down but will be back”pic.twitter.com/esNSut4911

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) May 14, 2025

Cleveland started the season 15-0 and amassed three 10-game winning streaks. The Cavs also finished the regular season with the second-best record in franchise history.

In addition, the Cavs joined the 1948-49 Washington Capitols, 1993-94 Houston Rockets, and 2015-16 Golden State Warriors as the only teams to start a season with 15 or more consecutive victories.

However, none of that mattered come playoff time. In their second-round series against Indiana, the Cavs lost consecutive home games and blew a 19-point first-half lead on Tuesday.

“I love playing in that f—king arena,” said Mitchell, who put up 35 points in Game 5 on 8-of-25 shooting from the field (4-of-13 from deep). “That energy, that crowd. We were 0-3 at home, let the city down. This place is special.

“This place is really special, and we didn’t get it done. We’ve had a lot of positives. But we didn’t capitalize. Now we’ve got to use this motivation. Everybody’s going to write us off.”

Donovan Mitchell Says Cavs Will Be Back

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Cavaliers became the fourth team in NBA history to win at least 64 games in the regular season and not advance past the second round.

Although the Cavs fell short, Mitchell still believes the season was a step in the right direction. Cleveland won its first division title without LeBron James on the roster since 1976 and its first division title overall since 2018.

“I’ll go to bat for every guy in that locker room,” Mitchell said. “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. That’s what sucks, we’re a good team.

“And for five games … we didn’t show what we’re capable of. And ultimately that’s what we’re judged on. So get in the gym, weight room, nutrition, whatever it is, and get back at it. Because y’all are going to write us the f—k off man. We’ll be back. Let the city down, let each other down. But we’ll be back.”

The Pacers will now face the Boston Celtics or New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.