Are the Cleveland Cavaliers headed for yet another early exit in the NBA playoffs?
Their odds to win the NBA Finals this season suggest just that, as Cleveland fell behind 3-1 in its second-round series with the Indiana Pacers with a blowout loss on Sunday night.
In addition to that, the Cavs lost Donovan Mitchell (ankle) for the game — and potentially for longer. Mitchell will undergo an MRI on Monday, but he did not return to Game 4 with the Cavs down big at the half.
Atkinson: Donovan Mitchell (ankle) to undergo MRI on Monday.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 12, 2025
As a result of the Mitchell injury and the Cavs’ deficit in the series, oddsmakers have dropped them to +1500 to win the NBA Finals. Previously, they were +850 to win the title at DraftKings even though they were down 2-1 in the series.
After dropping each of the first two games of this series at home, the Cavs rallied in Game 3 behind a 43-point game from Mitchell to knock off Indiana. However, Cleveland couldn’t carry that momentum into Game 4, falling behind big in the first quarter and never really coming within striking distance in the game.
Even though Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter have returned from injuries, it has not been enough for the Cavs against a Pacers team that did make the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
If Mitchell, who had scored 33 or more points in each of the first three games in this series, is unable to play in Game 5, the Cavs are going to be in serious trouble once again at home. Cleveland is looking to become the 14th team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit, but only 4.4 percent of teams that have faced that deficit have gone on to win the series.
Meanwhile, the Pacers are now favored to win this series and have jumped up to +1400 at DraftKings to win the Finals. Indiana will have three chances to win one game to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Even though the Cavs won 64 games in the regular season and earned the East’s top seed, Cleveland has not been able to showcase that dominance in this matchup. It’s a troubling sign for a Cavs team that has won just two playoff series in three seasons with Mitchell in the fold.
In his career, Mitchell has never reached the conference finals despite being a No. 1 seed on two ocassions. If he’s done for the season, the Cavs’ hopes of winning the title are likely done as well.
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