CLEVELAND, Ohio — Championships are rarely won on whiteboards alone.
Schemes matter. Spacing matters. Matchups matter. But the deeper you travel into the postseason, the more the margins tighten and the more games tilt away from the plays and toward the mind.
Confidence becomes oxygen. Ego becomes both fuel and poison. And the teams that survive four rounds are usually the ones prepared to sacrifice something personal for something collective without fracturing under the weight of it.
That is the space the Cavs are intentionally trying to live in this season.
This version of Cleveland is learning how to live with discomfort. How to respond when roles fluctuate. How to keep confidence intact without demanding control. How to build an ego-less environment in a league that often rewards the opposite.
Those habits are formed in the regular season. When someone sits. When someone closes. When someone else watches and cheers anyway.
The Cavs entered this season aware that they needed to develop more mental toughness. Not more bravado. Not louder confidence. But resilience. The capacity to absorb adversity and convert it into institutional knowledge.
Through 36 games, that education has been relentless.
Jarrett Allen at the Heart of Atkinson’s Plans
Jarrett Allen dunks during a recent game, a reminder of how central he remains to Cleveland’s success as Kenny Atkinson balances lineup flexibility with the growing realization that Allen is needed more often than not, particularly as he gets healthier.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Jarrett Allen is the clearest example of how uncomfortable growth can look.
A member of the Core Four, Allen has not always been part of Cleveland’s closing lineups.
In a league where status often dictates finishing time, that reality could fracture a locker room. Instead, Allen remains the heartbeat when he is on the floor and has elevated himself when recent opportunities to close have arisen.
There has been no public frustration. No visible erosion of trust. Just an understanding that the team’s needs can shift night to night.
It’s not as simple as acceptance. It’s emotional intelligence.
It is also echoed throughout the roster.
De'Andre Hunter Rises With His Team
De’Andre Hunter gets lifted by Donovan Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson and Evan Mobley, reflecting a season where he’s been knocked down but never lost his team-first mentality, becoming a crucial piece in Cleveland’s pursuit of mental toughness.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
De’Andre Hunter entered the offseason with a clear desire. He wanted to start. He voiced it to Kenny Atkinson. Then reality intervened.
His presence in the starting unit wasn’t giving the desired results, and the team required something different. Hunter did not cling to a title. He reverted back to a sixth-man role and is adding a scoring punch the Cavs needed off the bench.
The sacrifice put him back in a comfortable role. Increasing his impact, not diminishing it.
“It’s just about not having an ego and just being bought into the team goal,” Hunter said. “We’re trying to win. We’re not trying to focus on personal goals or personal accomplishments. Those come along the way, but if we keep doing what we’re doing, I think just staying together would be big for us.”
Asked if that kind of buy-in is rare, he did not hesitate.
“I would say so. I don’t think you see it on every team.”
Answering When Called Upon
Lonzo Ball and Jarrett Allen swarm Jamal Murray in coverage, showcasing Ball’s defensive versatility and willingness to do whatever the team needs, helping the Cavs secure the win.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Lonzo Ball’s situation may be the most revealing of all.
Ball sat out two consecutive games, not because of injury or load management, but because Atkinson chose a lineup that was working. That meant Ball, one of the first players off the bench earlier in the season, did not play at all.
There were no theatrics. Instead, Ball stayed engaged, energetic and vocal. He celebrated. He gave pointers. He guided Craig Porter Jr., who stepped into his spot.
“He’s such a pro,” Atkinson said of Ball. “And just my conversations with him over the past couple of days, he goes, ‘I just love we’re winning.’ He goes, ‘Whatever you need from me. You want DNP? You want me to play? Whatever you need.’
“Listen, it’s pro sports. He’s got a reputation in this league, and you could have a different slant. He could have a different slant, right? He’s just about winning. He wants to win with his team. He’ll do whatever’s necessary and has been outspoken with me about that. So just respect. So I’m glad. It’s almost like you get rewarded for your spirit and your attitude – team attitude.”
Joy, Intensity, Tyson
Jaylon Tyson channels his passion into the crowd, a visual reminder of the energy and joy he brings to Cleveland’s locker room and floor night after night.AP
Jaylon Tyson has embodied a team-first mentality, living this reality from every angle.
Last season, he was outside the rotation in his rookie year. This season, injuries have pushed him into spot starts and meaningful bench minutes. His role has changed repeatedly. His response has not. Energy. Joy. Defensive intensity. A smile that only changes when he’s locked in on an opponent. Tyson has become a cultural stabilizer without ever demanding the spotlight.
“That just speaks to the character we have on this team. Everybody knows it. Nobody has an ego from our best players, Donovan down to our rookies and me, the young guys,” Tyson said. “We just have one goal. Obviously, we want to win a championship, so we understand it’s going to take sacrifice. We got a lot of really, really talented dudes on this team, and it’s going to be a lot of sacrifice that has to be made down the road.”
It all feels premeditated.
Donovan Mitchell has consistently preached the value of early adversity. Not because he enjoys struggle, but because he understands what it builds.
Last season’s Cavs did not experience much resistance until the playoffs. When it arrived, they had nothing to reach back to.
This year is different.
Roles have been challenged. Rotations have shifted. Losing streaks have tested patience. And through it all, the Cavs are learning who they are when comfort disappears.
“When it comes down to the end of the year and where we’re trying to be, I feel like we can fall back on what we had to go through to get to this point,” Tyson added. “Last year, obviously, we didn’t have as much adversity, so we didn’t really have much to fall back on. But this year, we kind of built up resilience and grit about ourselves and kind of built up the hunger naturally.
“Adversity either makes or breaks a team. And I just know how we’re built and I know how our leaders are, their mentality and what they’re trying to do. And we also understand that there’s a small window that we’re in right now. We’re in a win-now window. ... I feel like from my past two years of being here, the teams that could stay consistent and like stay even keeled, are the teams that make it out.”
This is the psychological architecture of a playoff team.
The postseason is ruthless. Matchups dictate opportunity. Coaches must make decisions that can bruise egos in real time. Teams that crumble do not lack talent. They lack what the Cavs are building.
“It can help tremendously,” Ball said about these experiences being able to swing a playoff series. “We have a very deep team. ... I think we got one through 15 that can play. So for us it’s just about staying ready, being ready and whenever we’re needed, stepping out there and doing our job.
“... knowing the personnel that we have, I think we have everything you need to go the distance. We all know the East is wide open this year, so it’s just about attacking the playoffs as hard as possible and going a series at a time.”
At 20-16, the Cavs’ record does not scream dominance. But records rarely tell the full story. And a record surely doesn’t capture what is being stockpiled behind the scenes.
What matters is that Cleveland is building habits. Conversations are active. Trust is reinforced. Adjustments are normalized. If Atkinson needs to pivot in a playoff game, he is not worried about losing a player or a locker room.
The Cavs are learning that ego-less basketball does not mean ego-free players. It means players secure enough to detach their identity from nightly usage. Confident enough to wait. Healthy enough mentally to re-enter without resentment.
Those teams last.
When the postseason compresses the game and strips away comfort, Cleveland wants muscle memory. Not just in sets and coverages, but in mindset. In sacrifice. In unity.
That is how titles are really chased.