The Cavs started the playoffs the same way they ended their regular season. With sheer dominance. Facing the Heat in the first round, they pulled off the most lopsided sweep in NBA playoffs history. A combined 122 points separated the two teams from the four-game series. Looked like no one in the East could even compete against the Cavs. But the Pacers shattered that illusion by sending Donovan Mitchell and Co. packing in just five games. So, what went wrong?

Well, Donovan Mitchell highlighted his team’s most glaring concern after tonight’s brutal Game 5 loss, “They’ve been there. We had some mental lapses. They capitalized and those can change the series.” Yes, the superstar believes the Cavs were not mentally prepared to overcome the adversities against the highly skilled Pacers squad. Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton and Co. had already made it to the Conference Finals last year, and that experience helped them gain an edge in this series.

Mitchell continued, “You lose Game 1, you’re chasing the series. Game 2 happens chasing and you give a lot of energy Game 3 and then Game 4, like you know fighting the uphill battle against a team that has the fastest pace in league history.” The Cavs’ morale took an early hit when they lost the first two games in Cleveland. They could never fully recover from that blow. Obviously, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley’s untimely injuries didn’t help either.

Even Mitchell was playing through a lingering ankle sprain throughout the series, which visibly limited the Cavs’ offense. All these factors affected them mentally and led to their downfall. Even Mobley shared a similar sentiment during his postgame presser, “Feel like we didn’t start off the best Game 1 and then from there, it kind of we got hurt and you know things just went downhill. But you just gotta be more mentally ready from the jump.”

Sure enough, the DPOY plans on overcoming this weakness this summer, “I think just mental fortitude. Being strong in these big moments and then just individually, mentally just having more preparation.” And Kenny Atkinson is preparing to help him and other Cavs’ players in the process.

Kenny Atkinson credits Pacers for their sustained toughness as he reveals plan for Cavs’ offseason

Just like Mitchell and Mobley, Atkinson also believes his team could not keep up with the Pacers’ mental and physical toughness, “I think they presented a physical challenge, that’s probably the first off the bat. And to their credit, they kind of did it longer. They could sustain longer than we could. So, now that’s not all physical. I think part of that is mental, right? The mental strength to that’s part of our growth.”

Well, the Pacers have been one of the fastest paced teams in the league all year. The injury riddled Cavs squad just couldn’t keep up with them. And Atkinson gave them complete credit for that, “I just give them so much credit for being able to stay in that sustain that type of intensity for so long. Now, we gotta find a way to match it and we didn’t… I mean this league has become this. It is the pace, especially against this team is incredibly high.”

Now that Kenny knows where his team was lacking, he is prepared to work on those issues this summer, “We obviously got to get physically better, arrive physically better to compete with the team like this that plays at this high intense pace… I think we’re built for it, I think the type of athlete we have we’re built for it but we weren’t ready for that. Then the mental part, we gotta get over that. I just felt like we got another jump to make with kind of our mental strength.”

Moreover, the head coach believes his veteran experience at player development is perfect for overcoming such issues, “I mean there’s offseason programs we set in place. I think that’s part of my strength, the development area. We obviously got some guys that gotta make jumps from a physical standpoint. And then there’s a mental aspect to it and I think there’s conversations about that and you help guys along. That’s part of coaching right. Help them get over that hurdle. So, we got a lot of work to do is what I’m saying.”

With that vision, the Cavs head into the offseason, aiming to come back stronger next year. Do you believe they can overcome these challenges and get over the hump next season?