Despite finishing with a 64-18 record, the Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs.
Cleveland is now making an important yet unfortunate realization about their roster construction, and it's the same exact thing that Portland Trail Blazers fans had to come to terms with years ago during the Damian Lillard-CJ McCollum era: an undersized, offensive-minded backcourt is built for regular season success, but that doesn't translate to the postseason.
Similar to how the Blazers ultimately had to break up their Lillard-McCollum backcourt to escape purgatory, Cleveland must now at least consider following a similar path this summer.
The Cavaliers must learn from the Blazers' past mistakes
As currently constructed, the Cavaliers have proven that they don't have a working postseason formula. The Cavs' backcourt came up short at home with the season on the line. Donovan Mitchell had a game-high 35 points but was inefficient, going 8-of-25 from the field, 4-of-13 from three, and 15-of-21 from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Darius Garland had just 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists on 4-of-16 shooting from the field and 0-of-6 from beyond the arc.
As a team, Cleveland shot 25.7 percent from three, but they were unable to get anything going inside the paint because that's not the way their offense is assembled. They're stuck with a backcourt that is a defensive liability and a frontcourt that can't contribute enough offensively. That lack of dimensionality leaves them vulnerable, similar to how the Blazers used to be.
The Blazers were overly reliant on Lillard and McCollum as well, which led to an impressive 422-347 record overall but resulted in just one Western Conference Finals appearance. Blazers general manager Joe Cronin is now prioritizing length, athleticism, and switchability in their rebuild, which should translate better when the playoffs come around.
It could be in the Cavs' best interest to follow a similar path and retool around Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, trying to see what young assets they could get for one of Mitchell or Garland.
It's a tough pill to swallow, but the Cavaliers must recognize that this formula is broken. Swapping out role players won't fix it, as bringing in De'Andre Hunter has already proven. Just like it was with the Blazers, this is a much deeper roster issue that requires a significant shakeup.
And as was the case in Portland, that starts with fixing an undersized backcourt that isn't built to lead a true contender.