Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell was an image of misery when he talked to reporters after losing to the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their second-round series, 114-105, on Tuesday. The top-seeded Cavaliers got eliminated by the fourth-seeded Pacers, ending what had been their best campaign in recent years.

For the second straight season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have failed to advance past the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. And this time around, it's hard to label it as anything other than an abject failure.