{"id":509955,"date":"2026-01-01T15:01:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T15:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/509955\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T15:01:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T15:01:26","slug":"cleveland-com-photographers-favorite-2025-cleveland-cavaliers-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/509955\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleveland.com photographers\u2019 favorite 2025 Cleveland Cavaliers photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Cavaliers ended the 2024-25 season with a disappointing second-round exit from the playoffs. This season, they are struggling to meet expectations amid an injury-plagued campaign. <\/p>\n

But they\u2019ve still given our cleveland.com photographers plenty to capture. <\/p>\n

Below are our favorite Cavalier photographs from 2025.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen defends the rim against Chicago Bulls guard Kevin Huerter in the first half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

A wide angle camera mounted on the floor gives perspective of more than just two players on a drive to the basket.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell attempts a pass around the defense of Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner in the second half during the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Cavs\u2019 Donovan Mitchell ran out of room on a drive to the basket and needed to make a quick pass around the sprawling defense of Pacers\u2019 Myles Turner. <\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley is hit in the face by the arm of Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson on a drive to the basket in the first half at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

The moment the Hawks\u2019 Jalen Johnson struck the face of the Cavs\u2019 Evan Mobley.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers head coach congratulates Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) after taking him out of the game late in the fourth quarter during game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Cavs\u2019 head coach Kenny Atkinson is all smiles as he takes out Mitchell with a lead over the Miami Heat in the playoffs. Atkinson, usually reserved near the bench, was overjoyed with the play of Mitchell. Playoffs will do that.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter falls on his back after Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin blocked his lay up attempt in the second half during their eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

The Cavs\u2019 De\u2019Andre Hunter was a little slow getting off the floor after being rejected by the Pacers\u2019 Bennedict Mathurin on a layup try.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley and Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams battle for a rebound in the first half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

The fight for a rebound is captured in the faces of Mobley and the Bulls\u2019 Patrick Wilson.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro tries to gain control of the basketball from the floor against the Indiana Pacers in the first half of the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Former Cavalier Isaac Okoro seemed to slide forever trying to gain possession of a loose ball.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers forward Nae\u2019Qwan Tomlin (bottom) and Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. battle for possession of a loose ball in the first half at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

The Cavs\u2019 Nae\u2019Qwan Tomlin tries to keep hold of the basketball on the floor as the Bucks\u2019 Gary Trent Jr. tries to pull it away.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers\u2019 fans cheer on after a three-point score by Cavs\u2019 Ty Jerome in the second half during game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Rocket Arena is electric when a sellout crowd cheers in unison. You can feel it in your chest.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell reacts after making a basket against the Chicago Bulls in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Mitchell gets the fans going after making a basket.<\/p>\n

\"CavaliersCeltics guard Payton Pritchard (11) loses the ball and is fouled as he drives between Cavs\u2019 Nae\u2019Qwan Tomlin (35) and Cavaliers guard Tyrese Proctor (24) during NBA action between the Boston Celtics at the Cleveland Cavaliers in Rocket Arena on Sunday, November 30, 2025. The Celtics won 117-115.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Never safe to try and cut through the Cavs\u2019 defense, as the Celtics\u2019 Payton Pritchard learned by losing control of the basketball.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter secures a rebound from Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. in the first half at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Contested rebounds can produce wonderful action photos as Hunter secures the basketball from the Bucks\u2019 Gary Trent Jr. <\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers forward Nah\u2019Qwan Tomlin fouls San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson on his drive to the basket in the first half at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Tomlin kept the Spurs\u2019 Keldon Johnson under his arm pit until the whistle sounded for the foul play.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) celebrates his three-point score with fans in the second half during game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

The fans can produce a great background in photos like this one as former Cavs Ty Jerome reacts to a 3-point score in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (L) and Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith battle for possession of a loose ball in the second half during game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

The Cavs\u2019 Jarrett Allen and the Heat\u2019s Haywood Highsmith strike identical poses going for a loose ball. <\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson snags a rebound against Detroit Pistons forward Bobi Klintman in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

The Cavs\u2019 Jaylon Tyson reacts to impact on a rebound.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley works his way around Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. for two in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Mobley has worked on his offensive agility, proving it here as he slices through the Grizzlies defense for a score.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley hammers down a dunk against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Dunks are the exclamation point in basketball as Mobley demonstrates.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen tries for a dunk against Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart in the first half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Two long stretches toward the rim as Allen tries to leap higher than the Piston\u2019s Isaiah Stewart.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandMilwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo secures a rebound from Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade in the second half at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

All hands on deck when the Bucks\u2019 Giannis Antetokounmpo has the basketball.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandMiami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) battle for possession of a rebound in the second half during game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

A race to a rebound for Mobley and the Heat\u2019s Haywood Highsmith.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland celebrates a score in the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

An injured Darius Garland gets into a teammate\u2019s score from the bench.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter dunks on Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Hunter holds on to the net to clear players on the court after a monster dunk.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell draws the foul from Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama in the first half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

No easy baskets with Mitchell on defense as he fouls the Grizzlies\u2019 Santi Aldama. <\/p>\n

\"ClevelandMiami Heat forward Duncan Robinson (55) looks to make a pass guarded tightly by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome in the first half of game 1 playoffs at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

The reaction on the face of the Heat\u2019s Duncan Robinson shows the intensity of defense by Jerome.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell wipes his face with his jersey as he walks off the court after losing to the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

One picture tells the story of the Cavs playoff run against the Pacers as Mitchell wipes his face as he exits the floor.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell draws the foul from Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama in the first half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Mitchell forces a foul on a drive to the basket against the Grizzlies.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (L) pokes the basketball free from the dribble of San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle for a turnover in the second half at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

A sly Garland reaches over the shoulder of the Spurs\u2019 Stephon Castle for a turnover on an inbound pass.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers\u2019s fans celebrate a three-point score by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell in the fourth quarter during Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

A Cavs sellout at Rocket Arena can shake the rafters in an explosion of cheers. I have to wear ear plugs for games.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandThe Indiana Pacers bench celebrates a score and taking the lead with the reaction of the Cleveland Cavaliers fans in the second half during the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

A nice juxtaposition of the celebrating Pacers on the bench with the reaction of Cavs fans on the right.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell poses for photos during the 2025 Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day at Rocket Arena. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

A behind-the-scenes look at the Cavs\u2019 media day at Rocket Arena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Cavaliers ended the 2024-25 season with a disappointing second-round exit from the playoffs.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3772],"tags":[7,306,305,193,359,3846,4201,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-509955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-cavaliers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-cavaliers","10":"tag-cleveland","11":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","12":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers-2024-2025","13":"tag-clevelandcavaliers","14":"tag-indiana-pacers-2024-2025","15":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115820448944819617","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}