On a team level, Donovan Mitchell hasn’t yet enjoyed the kind of postseason success that most NBA stars do.
On Tuesday, his eighth NBA season came to an end after the Cavaliers lost 114-105 in Game 5 of a second-round matchup against the Pacers. While injuries did play into Cleveland’s struggles as the No. 1 seed, Kenny Atkinson’s squad also appeared overmatched by Indiana’s offense throughout the series.
After a deflating loss for the Cavaliers, who enter another offseason full of questions, Mitchell took some time to reflect on the 2024-25 season, spending extra time on the bench after the Game 5 loss before speaking to reporters.
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Here’s a look at Mitchell staying on his home floor after the loss, what he had to say about Cleveland’s season being over, and a look at the star guard’s unlucky playoff history.
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Donovan Mitchell stays on court after Game 5 vs. Pacers
Around an hour after the Cavaliers’ season-ending loss wrapped up in Cleveland, Mitchell was spotted returning to sit on the bench in Rocket Arena.
Not long after the game ended the @cavs @spidadmitchell pondering what went wrong in losing to the #Pacers 4 games to 1 in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/cfk1kyKH6R
— Kenny “The Roadman” Roda🎙🎧📻🏈⚾️🏀🏒⚽️ (@TheKennyRoda) May 14, 2025
Shortly after, he took the podium to share his thoughts on the loss and Cleveland now entering the offseason after a disappointing end to a strong season. It’s clear why he wanted to sit on the home bench one more time: “I love playing in this f—ing arena,” Mitchell said. “We let the city down.”
“I love playing in that f-in arena man. We let the city down. This place is special…
We gotta use this as motivation… what are we gonna do about it next year?”
Donovan Mitchell initial thoughts post series #cavs pic.twitter.com/EvkB82AxOL
— Gabriella Kreuz (@thesportsGab) May 14, 2025
Mitchell was also aware of how the playoffs define a team’s season. Despite Cleveland winning 64 regular season games, it leaves the 2024-25 campaign behind with a bitter taste in its mouth. The team’s star shooting guard knows criticism will follow.
“I told you during the year we will be judged off this,” Mitchell said, per Sam Amico. “There’s gonna be a lot of talk now. That’s what comes with it. So, what are we gonna do about it next year?”
Mitchell was visibly upset in his postgame presser. When asked about whether or not he views the season as a success, he took a deep breath, then “No, no moral victories here.”
“We took a step in the right direction, but we didn’t win a championship. So, we didn’t complete the end goal,” Mitchell said. “We just didn’t get the job done. There’s really nothing else to be said.”
“We just didn’t get the job done. There’s really nothing else to be said.”
Donovan Mitchell on if he views Cleveland’s season as a success pic.twitter.com/xcTUdIwrzA
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 14, 2025
Mitchell did leave a hopeful note for Cavaliers fans, saying he believes they “will be back.”
“Y’all gonna write us the f— off man. But will be back,” Mitchell said. “We let the city down, we let each other down, but will be back”
“Yall gonna write us the f*ck off man. We’ll be back.” #Cavs Donovan Mitchell after elimination: pic.twitter.com/fC2liXNdEz
— Grant Puskar (@grant_puskar_) May 14, 2025
Donovan Mitchell playoff record
Tuesday’s elimination was yet another chapter in what’s become a rough playoff history for Mitchell-led teams. He spent the first five years of his career with the Jazz and just concluded his third with Cleveland.
In all eight of his NBA seasons, his teams have made the playoffs, but in all eight of those trips, the Jazz and Cavaliers failed to reach the conference finals. Mitchell-led teams have now lost in the second round on four occasions and fallen in the first round on another four occasions.
Here’s a look at the Mitchell’s playoff history:
| Season | Team | Seed | Playoff Results |
| 2024-25 | Cavaliers | 1 | Beat Heat in Round 1 (4-0), Lost to Pacers in Round 2 (4-1) |
| 2023-24 | Cavaliers | 4 | Beat Magic in Round 1 (4-3), Lost to Celtics in Round 2 (4-1) |
| 2022-23 | Cavaliers | 4 | Lost to Knicks in Round 1 (4-1) |
| 2021-22 | Jazz | 5 | Lost to Mavericks in Round 1 (4-2) |
| 2020-21 | Jazz | 1 | Beat Grizzlies in Round 1 (4-1), Lost to Clippers in Round 2 (4-2) |
| 2019-20 | Jazz | 6 | Lost to Nuggets in Round 1 (4-3) |
| 2018-19 | Jazz | 5 | Lost to Rockets in Round 1 (4-1) |
| 2017-18 | Jazz | 5 | Beat Thunder in Round 1 (4-2), Lost to Rockets in Round 2 (4-1) |
Donovan Mitchell playoff stats
While his teams haven’t found much deep playoff success, it’s hard to attribute that to Mitchell. He’s consistently stepped up his game, especially as a scorer, when he reaches the playoffs.
Mitchell has dropped 50-plus points in the playoffs on three occasions, with an additional four games with at least 40 points. He has never averaged below 21 points for a full postseason run. In fact, Mitchell’s 28.2 points per game in the playoffs is the seventh-highest mark in NBA history.
Here’s a look at Mitchell’s career playoff numbers:
| Games | MIN | PTS | AST | REB | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
| 62 | 36.8 | 28.2 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 44.2% | 33.8% | 83.1% |
