The Cavaliers are eyeing a championship after last season’s playoff disappointment
A stunning 64-18 record gave the Cavaliers the Eastern Conference’s best mark last season. But despite looking like true contenders, Cleveland’s championship dreams crumbled in the conference semifinals.
Now they’re using that playoff letdown as fuel for the upcoming season.
“It seems like everybody is locked in and wants bigger and better things this season,” said Cavaliers forward Max Strus during his annual basketball camp, where he spoke with team insider Spencer Davies.
The timing couldn’t be better for Cleveland to make a serious run.
Several top Eastern Conference teams have taken major hits heading into 2025-26. Boston’s superstar Jayson Tatum and Indiana’s playmaker Tyrese Haliburton will both miss the entire season with torn Achilles tendons.
With the Knicks potentially being their only serious competition, the path is clearing for the Cavs to dominate the East again.
Strus made it clear the team has just one goal in mind – a championship.
The Cavaliers know they have the talent to compete for a title. They had the pieces last year too, but injuries derailed their playoff run at the worst possible time.
Strus himself has become a key part of Cleveland’s success story. After going undrafted and starting his career with Miami, he signed a four-year, $62.3 million deal with the Cavs before the 2023-24 season.
Last year wasn’t perfect for him either. A sprained right ankle sidelined Strus for the first 27 games of the season, but he still managed to play in 50 games and start 37 of them.
His three-point shooting is what makes him so valuable to Cleveland’s offense. Strus knocked down 38.6% of his shots from beyond the arc last season while attempting nearly 6 threes per game. That kind of shooting creates crucial spacing for the Cavs’ other stars to operate.
The team is brimming with confidence heading into the new season. But they’re also realistic.
Talk is cheap in the NBA. Can Cleveland finally play up to their potential when the playoffs arrive next spring?
If they do, we might just see the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals – or maybe even competing for an NBA title in 2026.
