The Cleveland Cavaliers had their best regular season since the LeBron James era, winning 64 games and looking like real title contenders. But that dream is over. The Indiana Pacers didn’t just beat the Cavaliers; they ended their playoff hopes in just five games.
While Cleveland fans are stunned, much of the basketball world is rallying around Donovan Mitchell. Despite the loss, he gave everything. Now, fans are speaking out, and they’re not blaming Spida for this one.
Fans Back Donovan Mitchell After Another Round 2 Exit
Game 5 was the Cavaliers’ last shot, and everyone knew it. Down 3-1, with injuries piling up and pressure mounting, the Cavs needed something special. Mitchell tried to deliver.
The six-time All-Star poured in 35 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and even knocked down 15 free throws. He did all that on a sore leg, after leaving Game 4 at halftime due to injury. But the Cavaliers just didn’t have enough.
Their 114-105 loss ended their season, and the Pacers booked a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Mitchell’s Round 2 stats tell the story of a man refusing to go quietly: 35 points on 32% shooting, 12 points on 27% in Game 4, then 43, 48, and 33 points in the three games prior on much-improved efficiency. The man was fighting.
And fans saw that.
“Carried the team on his back,” wrote one fan, sharing a clip of Mitchell giving his all.
“Is he staying there?” they added, hinting at what could become one of the offseason’s biggest questions.
Injuries didn’t help either. Cleveland was without All-Stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley for parts of the series, and key reserve De’Andre Hunter missed some time as well. That left Mitchell to do the heavy lifting, again.
“He is playing with a G League team,” another fan said bluntly on X.
And still, Mitchell managed to drag the Cavaliers to within reach every game, including a Game 3 win where he scored 43. But the Pacers were relentless and pushed back hard down the series.
“He’ll get there someday,” a fan posted.
There’s frustration, but also belief in Mitchell’s long-term ceiling.
The Pacers were just better. They locked into a groove by the second quarter of Game 5, and Cleveland couldn’t adjust. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton lit them up again, and with the Cavs switching poorly and looking exhausted, the door slammed shut on their season.
Some fans pointed to officiating. “When refs will start protecting him and his teammates as much as they do for other teams, he will go there,” one fan posted.
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This was supposed to be the year Mitchell finally broke his second-round curse. He’s made the playoffs in all eight of his seasons (five with the Utah Jazz, three with Cleveland), but he’s never reached a conference final. That’s not just bad luck; it’s a storyline now.
Still, this wasn’t a collapse because of him. It was everything else — injuries, missed adjustments, a red-hot Indiana team, and yes, maybe a little misfortune, too.
Spida gave everything. And while the Cavaliers head home, fans are walking away from this one, defending their star, not questioning him.
