CLEVELAND \u2014\u00a0After a 64-win regular season and another early playoff loss, there\u2019s one simple goal for this year\u2019s Cleveland Cavaliers team.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
The Cleveland Cavaliers enter the 2025-2026 NBA season as one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference
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Donovan Mitchell says this year’s team has the right mindset to win a NBA title\u00a0
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Reigning NBA defensive player of the year Evan Mobley has aspirations of being an MVP candidate and raising his game to help Cleveland make a deep playoff run<\/p>\n
Cleveland is trying to bring home an NBA championship exactly ten seasons after the Cavaliers ended a 54-year title drought in professional sports in the city by winning the 2016 NBA Finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just at a point now where it\u2019s time to go get it,\u201d Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mitchell is coming off a season in which he earned first-team All-NBA honors for the first time in his career. Now in his fourth season with Cleveland, he has a championship on his mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if we\u2019re number one or number eight; we\u2019ve got to handle our business,\u201d said Mitchell. \u201cWe\u2019ve run into the same wall three times in a row, so to speak and mentally you could stop and quit. So are we willing every day to continue to hit our heads against the wall, keep pounding and keep going? As we continue to make this push, I think we are, and I believe we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cavaliers Point Guard Darius Garland is the longest-tenured member of the team and said he\u2019s taking it upon himself to step up his leadership this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep everybody on the same cylinder, keep everybody above what they expect, keep everybody engaged, keep everybody locked in together,\u201d Garland said. \u201cI\u2019m the leader of this group, so you\u2019ve got to be the head of the snake.\u201d<\/p>\n
A big reason Cleveland is expected to be among the NBA\u2019s top teams is the continued development of Evan Mobley. The reigning defensive player of the year thinks his game still has another level to hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, I need to do the same thing and make another big leap,\u201d said Mobley. \u201cIn the offseason, I just go hard and try to prepare myself for that big leap that I know I\u2019m capable of. The biggest goal is a championship. That\u2019s the ultimate goal, and I think this year we\u2019re ready for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pairing new additions Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr. and Thomas Bryant to the majority of last season\u2019s roster has many picking the Cavaliers as Eastern Conference favorites. Center Jarrett Allen said this team is ready to handle the added pressure of expectations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we\u2019re becoming more accustomed to that now. Last year we didn\u2019t make the strides that we were supposed to, so we\u2019ve just got to come back better,\u201d said Allen.<\/p>\n
The Cavaliers begin the regular season on October 22nd in New York against the Knicks. The home opener at Rocket Arena is set for October 26th against the Milwaukee Bucks.<\/p>\n
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