BOSTON — It was expected, but it still stings. Now, the long offseason begins with a boatload of questions facing the Cavaliers.
With Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert all sidelined with injuries, Cleveland's 2023-24 campaign came to an end with a 113-98 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The team fought to the very end, but were done in by many of the same issues that plagued them down the stretch.
Where will they go from here? That's the million-dollar question.
Let's start with Wednesday night's action. To the surprise of almost everybody, the Cavs hung in there, building a lead in the second quarter and only trailing by six at halftime. Even after Boston began to pull away, Cleveland fought back to cut the deficit to three early in the fourth quarter.
Marcus Morris Sr. did his best to fill the void left by the ailing stars, scoring 25 points on 10 of 13 shooting (5 of 6 from 3-point range). And Evan Mobley? He turned in perhaps the best performance of his young playoff career with 33 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks.
But as has been the case so often in this series, the Celtics' multi-pronged attack was just too much to overcome.
Jayson Tatum overcame a slow start to nearly snag a triple-double — 25 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists. Derrick White continued to kill the Cavs from deep with four 3s, and even veteran Al Horford found his stroke with 22 points on 6 of 13 shooting from beyond the arc, while adding 15 rebounds for good measure.
While the Cavaliers actually shot decently from long range (41.9%), they did not get enough help from those they needed it from the most. Georges Niang's woeful postseason continued with an 0 of 3 effort, and Max Strus went just 3 of 10 with 12 points, though he did dish out nine assists and haul in seven rebounds.
Unfortunately, much of the ire will be directed at Darius Garland. While he finished with nine assists, he fumbled away a chance to take charge offensively in Mitchell's absence, making only 4 of 17 shots for a measly 11 points. He also missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
The Celtics, who won an NBA-best 64 games during the regular season, are now off to the Eastern Conference Finals for a third straight year. They will face either the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers.
As for Cleveland? Well, big changes could be in store, especially with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and team President Koby Altman both rumored to be on the hot seat. The club will also examine whether young up-and-comers like Garland and Mobley are worth hanging on to.
Then there's Mitchell, who can opt out of his contract after next season. If he isn't willing to commit to the Cavs on a long-term basis, it's very possible the organization could decide to cut its losses and move in from its best player, potentially throwing the state of what had been viewed as a strong rebuild into flux.
So many scenarios are in play. At least some of these questions will be answered soon.
