Cleveland Cavaliers exit NBA Playoffs, waste 35 points from injured Donovan Mitchell in Game 5 loss to Indiana Pacers.

The Cavaliers were largely competitive in their second-round series with the Pacers, at least outside of Game 4's blowout, but the playoff margins are razor thin. All it took were a few poorly timed injuries,

Sixteen teams in total make the NBA playoffs, eight teams from both the Eastern and Western Conference. The top six seeds in each conference advance based on the regular season record. The final two seeds in each conference are determined by the NBA Play-In Tournament.

The Pacers won Games 1, 2 and 5 at Rocket Mortgage Arena to help secure their spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana needed to battle back from a 12-point first-quarter deficit. Tyrese Haliburton's three-point shooting played a huge role in clawing back into the game.

The second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs is here, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game of the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals.

Despite a coaching change, the Cavs ended their season in the same place — Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. So all eyes are on the roster.

There have been a few surprises in both the NBA and NHL playoffs, including the No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers trailing the Indiana Pacers 3-1 in their best-of-seven series. Indiana is now -325 to win the series at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Max Strus during the 2023 offseason to help with the floor spacing and three-point shooting. However, the forward also brought something that the Wine and Gold desperately needed: playoff experience.