Darius Garland Believes The Cavaliers Would Have Won the NBA Title If Healthy in 2025

Last season was a fantastic one for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the team put it all together in the regular season, coming away with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. That put them ahead of the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Indiana Pacers, but unfortunately, that doesn't always translate to postseason success.

That was the story again for Cleveland in 2024–25, as the team fell in five games to the Pacers in the second round after knocking off the play-in Miami Heat team in their first-round matchup. There were many circumstances that went into that for Cleveland, but the biggest one was health, with star guard Darius Garland once again struggling to stay healthy when it matters most.

Now, he's addressed the team's playoff failure, and unsurprisingly, he's confident that if he were healthy, things would have gone their way, stating they not only would have beaten Indiana but would have won the NBA title as well.

“I think we would have won it. I say that pretty confidently.”

Unfortunately for Garland, hypotheticals don't play on the court for him, and after being injury-prone for a number of years, his inability to stay healthy cost this team in a very winnable series against Indiana.

Once again this season, the Cavaliers will have a team full of depth and star power, and while Garland's health will play a major factor into their potential success, if he can stay healthy, this team will be a force in the Eastern Conference.