Cavs’ Struggles Aren’t a Pacers Redux - They’re Echoing a More Uncomfortable Parallel
The Cleveland Cavaliers are searching for answers after a rocky start to the season, and in that search, a familiar narrative has emerged: Hey, remember the Pacers? Last year, Indiana stumbled early, caught fire late, and made a surprise run to the NBA Finals. So maybe, just maybe, the Cavs are following that same script.
It’s a comforting thought. But it’s also a misleading one.
After Cleveland’s 127-111 loss to the Bulls - a Chicago team that had dropped eight of its last nine - the cracks in that narrative became impossible to ignore. The Cavs are now 15-13, and the idea that they’re simply on the same slow-build trajectory as Indiana was last year doesn’t hold up under closer scrutiny.
Let’s start with the obvious: the Pacers had already proven something. That team had made it to the Eastern Conference Finals the year before.
They didn’t need to discover who they were - they just needed to rediscover it. The Cavaliers, by contrast, haven’t made it past the second round with this core.
Last postseason, they were favored against Indiana and came up short. That’s not a small distinction - it’s a foundational one.
There’s also the matter of continuity. The Pacers brought back their core group, ran it back, and found their rhythm.
Cleveland, meanwhile, has shuffled the deck. De’Andre Hunter, Lonzo Ball, and Larry Nance Jr. are new faces in the locker room, and the cohesion just isn’t there yet.
These aren’t minor rotational tweaks - they’re significant pieces trying to find their fit in a system that’s still evolving.
If you’re looking for a more accurate comparison, it’s not Indiana. It’s Utah - specifically, the 2021-22 Jazz, Donovan Mitchell’s final season in Salt Lake City.
That Jazz team still looked good on paper. They still racked up regular-season wins.
But underneath the surface, something was fraying. The connection, the belief, the chemistry - it all started to slip.
Possession by possession, you could feel it. And now, those same warning signs are flashing in Cleveland.
The Jazz had just come off a 52-win season and a top seed in the West. The next year, they still managed 49 wins, but the seams were showing.
The same star - Mitchell - was still expected to carry the load late in games. The same offensive sets were run.
But the magic was gone. The belief that the whole was greater than the sum had quietly disappeared.
Sound familiar?
Last season, the Cavs were a 64-win juggernaut, topping the East and notching their 13th loss in Game 69. This year, they hit that mark in Game 28. That’s not just a statistical dip - it’s a shift in identity.
And Wednesday night in Chicago showed it again. Mitchell, battling illness, still poured in 32 points and knocked down four threes.
He did his part. But once again, it felt like he had to do everything.
That’s the problem. Greatness from your star should be a luxury, not a necessity.
And right now, the Cavs are leaning on Mitchell like he’s the only one who can keep the ship afloat.
“You cannot continue to ask Donovan Mitchell to be his ‘Spida’ alter ego self without the support from players around him,” podcast host Ethan Sands said bluntly. And he’s right. The expectation that Mitchell can solve every problem on his own - night after night - is a formula that already failed in Utah.
It’s also worth remembering why Mitchell chose Cleveland. He believed in the long-term vision, the idea that this team could grow into something sustainable.
He saw a roster with enough depth and talent to ease the burden on his shoulders. But over the past month, that vision has started to blur.
Not because the Cavs lack talent - they don’t - but because the ecosystem around their star isn’t giving back what it’s taking.
That’s the same tipping point Utah reached before it dismantled its core. Sands’ comparison isn’t alarmist - it’s drawn from lived experience.
Teams don’t always know they’re unraveling in real time. They feel it.
And right now, Cleveland feels eerily familiar.
Yes, injuries are a factor. Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and Sam Merrill have all missed time.
But even with a full roster, there’s no guarantee that everything suddenly clicks. The issues aren’t just about availability - they’re about synergy, trust, and identity.
So as the Cavs gear up for a rematch with the Bulls on Friday, it’s time to stop clinging to the Pacers parallel. That story isn’t this one. Cleveland’s path forward isn’t about waiting for history to repeat itself - it’s about recognizing the moment they’re in and making the hard adjustments necessary to change their own trajectory.
Because if they don’t, the next chapter might look a lot more like the end of the Mitchell-era Jazz than the rise of last year’s Pacers.