The Cleveland Cavaliers have dug themselves out of the rebuilding pit step by step over the past few years. Drafting Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, trading for Jarrett Allen and hiring J.B. Bickerstaff gave them a solid foundation. Last offseason they made the blockbuster deal to bring in Donovan Mitchell. That resulted in 51 wins and the team’s first trip to the playoffs since 2018, and their first trip without LeBron James since the 1990s.
Despite one of the league’s best records last year, and its second-best point differential, the Cavs were easily defeated by the New York Knicks in five games.