Donovan Mitchell admits the regrettable moment of the Cleveland Cavaliers: "I would boo us too"

The Cleveland Cavaliers, once viewed at the beginning of the season as one of the top contenders in the East, are far from meeting those expectations. This Sunday, they displayed a troubling performance at home, losing to the Charlotte Hornets 119-111 in overtime without scoring any of their ten attempts. All this against an opponent missing their star player LaMelo Ball, and a team that had been one of the worst on the road this season in the NBA. Donovan Mitchell didn't make excuses.

Cleveland started without energy, managed to force overtime just in time, but then went completely dry in the extra period. Towards the end, some of the remaining audience at the Rocket Arena bid farewell to the team with boos, tired of a series of uninspired performances.

"We deserve it," acknowledged Mitchell after the game. "I was a fan once. I would boo us too."

The current situation starkly contrasts with last season when the Cavaliers began with a remarkable 15-0 record under the guidance of Kenny Atkinson in his first year as head coach, raising expectations not seen in the franchise since the era of LeBron James and the 2016 title. However, that season concluded disappointingly with a five-game elimination against Indiana in the conference semifinals, and the start of the 2025-26 season has been characterized by inconsistency and injuries.

Recent defeats and several inexplicable performances over the last two weeks have raised questions about the roster and its balance. The group remains united, but adversity threatens to erode the project's foundations.

Mitchell shouldered all the responsibility for the defeat, the team's sixth in the last nine games. Two days earlier, he had scored 48 points in a win against Washington, but against Charlotte, he ended with 17 points, shooting poorly at 6 for 24 from the field and 1 for 11 from beyond the arc. After staging a comeback in the last quarter, he had a clean mid-range shot to win the game in the final second of regulation time, but it didn't go in.

"It was one of those nights, and in a moment when I can't afford it," he explained. "If I play better, we win the game. This defeat is on me. I know my teammates won't say that."

Performance issues are compounded by absences. Cleveland has not had its full rotation available at any point this season. Jarrett Allen recently returned after missing nine games due to a finger injury, but the team is still without Evan Mobley, the reigning defensive player of the year, who could be sidelined for nearly a month with a calf strain. Darius Garland continues to play through discomfort from a toe surgery during the summer, while Sam Merrill and Max Strus have also been sidelined.

Garland, dismayed

"No excuses," said Garland, who scored 26 points against the Hornets but finished the game visibly in pain.

The atmosphere is tough in Cleveland, but the locker room is trying to stay strong. "No one is going to feel sorry for us," Mitchell concluded. "I wouldn't either. I know everything looks dark right now, but as long as we stick together in this locker room, we'll be fine."

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