The Cleveland Cavaliers have built a borderline NBA championship contender for the first time since the LeBron James era. For the last few seasons, the Cavs have been stellar in the regular season. Despite this, the team has fallen short when the lights have been the brightest during the playoffs.
During the 2024-25 campaign, the Cavs had the best record in the Eastern Conference. They dispatched the Miami Heat with ease in the first round. However, they fell short against the upstart Indiana Pacers in the Conference Semifinals. The team was decimated with injury, and Darius Garland was among those struggling with staying healthy. If not for that, he thinks the result would have been quite different.
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“I think we would’ve won it. I say that pretty confidently. Just the talent we have is out of the roof,” Garland told Sam Mitchell in an interview. “The will that we have on both sides of the ball; we got two Defensive Players of the Year.”
The Cavs do have a phenomenal frontcourt and backcourt. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are defensive beasts inside, while Garland and Donovan Mitchell have all the firepower in that backcourt. When healthy and rolling, they are tough to beat, but health matters more than anything else at the end of the season.
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Ifs and buts can only take a team so far. Ultimately, even if healthy, it’s impossible to say with confidence that they would have certainly beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder. But for Garland and his teammates, the only way they can prove this claim is by making it happen this season.
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