Cavs’ Hunter on loss to Pacers: ‘I ​think ​we ​just ​weren’t ​mentally ​ready’

Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers achieved a remarkable feat, winning 64 games and securing the best record in the Eastern Conference. This outstanding performance positioned them as one of the favorites to reach the NBA Finals when they entered the playoffs.

However, in the second round, Cleveland lost to the eventual Eastern Conference champions, the Indiana Pacers, in five games, and the Cavs’ special season ended disappointingly. 

Undoubtedly, injuries played a significant role in the Cavs’ loss to the Pacers. The team was not at full strength, with key players like Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Donovan Mitchell battling injuries.

However, there could be more to why Cleveland fell to the Pacers. According to De’Andre Hunter, who the team acquired from the Hawks last season before the trade deadline, the team may not have been emotionally ready to win.

“I ​think ​we ​just ​weren’t ​mentally ​ready,” Hunter said at Cavs’ Media Day on Monday. ​”Obviously, we ​had ​injuries ​and ​things ​like ​that ​, and ​other ​teams ​did ​as ​well, ​so ​you ​can’t ​really ​​use ​that ​as ​an ​excuse. ​But ​I ​just ​think ​mentally, ​we ​weren’t ​mentally ​tough ​in ​that ​series…

“I ​think ​you ​have ​to ​go ​through ​something ​like ​that ​to ​really ​test ​you ​to ​see where ​you’re ​at. ​And ​I ​think ​that ​series ​showed ​that ​we’re ​not ​there ​yet, and ​I ​think ​that’s ​how ​you ​build mental ​ ​toughness ​by ​going ​through ​a ​situation ​that’s ​similar, ​not ​getting ​over ​it and ​coming ​back ​and ​getting ​over ​that ​hump. ​That’s ​how ​you ​do ​it.”

A lot of things have to go right for a team to win a championship. In the regular season, everything went right for the Cavs last season. However, in the playoffs, everything went wrong.  However, to Hunter’s point, the Cavs did not seem mentally ready to handle what the Pacers threw at them, and also to his point, to learn, you have to go through things to get through things, and that is what the Cavs may have needed to do to be successful moving forward.