After how the 2025 NBA Playoffs ended in such disappointing fashion for the Cleveland Cavaliers, fans are clamoring for them to finally get over that second-round hurdle in the 2026 NBA Playoffs and make a championship run.
Ahead of the Cavaliers’ opening contest of the 2025-26 regular season, president of basketball operations Koby Altman didn’t outright label the season as championship or bust, perhaps because he doesn’t want to add any additional pressure on his players’ shoulders.
But he did make a clear statement on the Cavaliers’ goal. Specifically, they want to be competing for a championship.
“Let’s see how this season unfolds,” he told Cleveland.com. “I think this group is keenly aware of where we have been and where we want to go. I’m sure you will ask the players to define success. But our goal is clear: We want to compete for a championship. I don’t want to use any strong terms. People threw that failure term out there last year and that’s such a strong term. But we always have a mind toward the playoffs. We are going to put ourselves in a position to compete for a championship. That’s what is exciting. That’s what we’re focused on. We can say that and try to back that up with our play.”
On paper, the Cavaliers check all the boxes needed to be a championship contender in the modern NBA. For one, they’re not short on star power as three players — Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley — qualified for the All-Star Game last season. Big man Jarrett Allen is an All-Star caliber player as well and was selected to the team earlier in his Cavs stint.
Moreover, the Cavaliers boast a deep bench unit as well and a head coach who knows what it takes to win at the highest level. Head coach Kenny Atkinson was a key member of Steve Kerr’s coaching staff when the Golden State Warriors won it all back in 2022.
Cleveland has the talent, depth and coaching to win it all, and the team’s mental fortitude could ultimately decide whether it can live up to expectations and bring another title to the city. Following the Cavaliers’ elimination in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, Altman admitted that there is a “mental toughness piece” that they need to overcome.
Whether or not the Cavaliers now have the mental toughness to advance deep into the playoffs is unclear, but fans will have a much clearer answer when the 2026 NBA Playoffs start up next April.
A title for Cleveland next year would mark the team’s first in a decade and just the second in franchise history. Forward LeBron James spearheaded the Cavaliers’ first title run back in 2016, beating the Warriors in seven games.