Cavaliers summary: The second round was terminated in two consecutive years + only won two rounds in the post-Jackson era, and is only a short distance between James and James?

On May 14, after the Cavaliers returned to home in the Eastern Conference semi-finals G5, they collapsed in the second half and were defeated by the Pacers in a 19-point reversal. The Cavaliers scored 1-4 and were eliminated by the Pacers. The Cavaliers regretted that they were out of the second round of the playoffs for two consecutive years, and the post-James era has never reached the division finals. They have only won two rounds of series in the past seven seasons. They have talent but can never go too far. Perhaps they are only one "qualified leader" James is missing from truly entering the championship group.

The second record in the history of the team with 64 wins in the regular season

In the regular season stage of this season, the Cavaliers once remained firmly in the league for a long time, until the Thunder gradually caught up in the second half of the season. The Cavaliers and the Thunder continued to compete, and in the end the Cavaliers were slightly inferior to the regular season first, and the Thunder became the regular season champion with 68 wins and 14 losses.

However, the Cavaliers still won 64 wins and 18 losses, surpassing the defending champion Celtics with 61 wins and 21 losses to become the number one in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers made the second best record in the Cavaliers' history with 64 wins and 18 losses in a single season, only inferior to James's record of 66 wins and 16 losses in the 2008-09 season.

The second round was defeated by the Pacers 1-4, and when the Cavaliers easily swept the Heat 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs, they became the only team in the East to complete the sweep in the first round. However, the Cavaliers actually resisted only 5 games in the second round, and were eliminated by the Pacers with a total score of 1-4.

The Cavaliers' exit was caused by injuries. In the first game of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Cavaliers lacked one of the backcourt cores, and in the second game, Garland, Mobley and Hunter were missing three main players. By the fourth game, Mitchell was injured and retreated early, resulting in a collapse defeat. In the fifth game, Mitchell was in a sluggish state with injuries. The Cavaliers suffered a 19-point reversal. They failed to block the Pacers' progress and were unfortunately eliminated in five games.

The Cavaliers have been in the second round of the playoffs for two consecutive years. They have swept the Heat 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs, but they have been in the second round of the playoffs. In the second round of the playoffs last season, the Cavaliers faced the Celtics who finally won the championship and were unfortunately eliminated with a total score of 1-4.

Unexpectedly, the same script is repeated again now. The Cavaliers were eliminated by the Pacers in the second round of the playoffs this year, with a total score of 1-4. The Cavaliers swept 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs for two consecutive years, and the results were extremely tragic when they were eliminated 1-4 in the second round of the playoffs.

Post-James era never entered the Eastern Conference Finals

Cavaliers In the James era, they advanced to the Finals for four consecutive years in the 2015-18 season, but the Cavaliers in the post-James era are still quite far from their true rise. After James left in the summer of 2018, they missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons until the Cavaliers advanced to the playoffs in the last three seasons. However, the Cavaliers were eliminated in the first round of the Eastern Conference in 2023, and both ended in the second round of the playoffs in 2024 and 2025. In the post-James era, they only won two rounds of the series in total in seven seasons.

Cavaliers are only James away from the championship? After several consecutive seasons of bad performance, the Cavaliers have accumulated a large number of young talents to continue to grow. In addition, after introducing Mitchell, they can achieve high-quality results in the regular season. However, the Cavaliers have been out of the second round of the playoffs for two consecutive years, which proves that they are still a mature core veteran leader who is still short of winning the championship.

Although James is 40 years old, he still leads the Lakers to win 50 wins in the regular season this season and ranks third in the Western Conference. Even if he is eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, James' personal competitive skills are still extremely outstanding.

Considering that James has a player option this summer, if he jumps out of his contract and joins the Cavaliers, choosing "Go Home" can make the Cavaliers' combat effectiveness soar, and he is naturally expected to become the number one favorite to compete for the championship next season. Of course, if James returns to the Cavaliers to play for the Cavaliers, it is more likely to be completed through a trade, or even a sign-on and then exchange mode. The Cavaliers need to pay some young players and draft picks, but getting James will still help the Cavaliers compete for the championship next season.

Of course, the key to everything lies in James' own "decision". Whether he wants to stay in the Lakers for a lifetime or choose to return to the Cavaliers to start the Cavaliers' 3.0 era, the right to make a decision lies with James himself.