Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers finished the 2024-25 NBA regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference. They quickly swept the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs and moved on to face the Indiana Pacers in round two.
While the Cavaliers were favored by most to defeat the Pacers and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, that did not happen.
On Tuesday night, Cleveland lost to Indiana by a final score of 114-105. With that loss, Mitchell and the Cavaliers were eliminated from playoff contention in just five games against Indiana.
Following the heartbreaking loss and conclusion to what had been a magical season, Mitchell took some time to return to the court. He sat on the sidelines by himself simply taking in what had happened.
That moment was captured by NBA reporter Sam Amico of HoopsWire.
"Cavs star Donovan Mitchell came back out of locker room and sat on bench one last time after game - and season - ended," he captioned the post.
Fans took to the comments section, sad for Mitchell after the photo was shared.
"You left everything you had on the court you are a TRUE competitor that will continue to elevate your game as well as your franchise. Have no regrets you gonna kill em next year champ," one fan wrote.
A second comment read, "I thought they were gonna go to the finals 100%."
"64 wins for nothing. I'd be there all night," a third fan commented.
Another comment said, "He left it all on the floor, played hard with injury. Props."
Donovan Mitchell
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Mitchell left everything he had on the floor against the Pacers. In the five games of the series, he averaged 34.2 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.2 steals.