In the last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers established themselves as a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. After two solid years with their core quartet, the Cavs brought in head coach Kenny Atkinson, who managed to make all the pieces fit together and turned what had been an average offense into one of the best in the entire NBA<\/a>.<\/p> In 2023–24, with Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen already on the roster, Cleveland ranked among the ten lowest-scoring teams in the league and sat around the middle of the pack in both field goal percentage and turnovers. But in 2024–25, the Cavaliers completely flipped the script — they had the highest-scoring offense in the league, the second-best overall shooting percentage, and the third-fewest turnovers.<\/p> With such a potent offense and a solid defense, the team quickly pulled away from the rest of the East and virtually secured the No. 1 seed months before the season ended. The Cavs were the first team in the league to hit the 10-, 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-win marks, cruising past most competition — with the exception of the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p> By the end of the regular season, Cleveland finished with a 64–18 record, just two wins shy of tying the franchise’s all-time best mark set in 2008–09.<\/p> Holding the top seed in the East as they headed into the playoffs, the Cavaliers faced the Miami Heat in the first round — and it turned out to be their easiest series. Even without Garland for a few games, Cleveland swept Miami 4–0, delivering multiple blowout wins. Up to that point, the season felt like a fairy tale — the Cavs seemed unstoppable.<\/p> However, things changed dramatically in the second round against the Indiana Pacers. It’s worth noting that Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter, all missed multiple games during the series and returned playing through injuries. On top of that, the Pacers proved themselves to be a formidable playoff team, pulling off wild comebacks and delivering clutch performances.<\/p> As a result, Cleveland couldn’t replicate the dominant form they showed all season and ultimately lost the series 4–1. So, after yet another exciting campaign — their best in the last three years — the Cavaliers once again fell short in the playoffs.<\/p> (3.5 stars)<\/p> The Cavaliers’ offseason wasn’t particularly exciting, as the team chose continuity over bold moves — opting to stick with their current roster and coaching staff rather than making drastic trades or shake-ups. Even so, Cleveland made a few targeted changes that sparked mixed reactions.<\/p> First, the team re-signed shooting guard Sam Merrill but let Ty Jerome walk, allowing him to sign with the Memphis Grizzlies. Jerome had been Cleveland’s best bench player last season and even finished second in the voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.<\/p>Cavs Focused More on Maintaining Current Roster, Avoided Drastic Offseason Moves<\/h2>