Evan Mobley said Cleveland's Eastern Conference finals loss to New York stayed with him all summer but does not view the sweep as a wake-up call.
The New York Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the Eastern Conference finals on May 25 with a 130-93 win at Rocket Arena. New York went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games for the championship, and the Knicks have since opened their title defense with a media day of their own.
Evan Mobley was back at Rocket Arena on Monday for media day. Cleveland had made it further than in any of his previous four seasons, and Mobley said that counts for something.
"It definitely stuck with me throughout the whole summer," Mobley said. "Even still now. I mean, we made it far, that's for sure. There's definitely some benefits in that, but it didn't end how we wanted it to. So the main goal is always getting better in the next year. We've done that every single year, so that's the plan again."
Cavaliers Have Advanced Further in Each of Mobley's Playoff Runs
Mobley has played in the postseason in four of his five seasons. His rookie team went 44-38 in 2021-22 and went out in the play-in tournament. The Knicks beat the Cavaliers in five games in the first round in 2023, a series in which Mobley averaged 9.8 points and 10.0 rebounds.
A year later, Cleveland beat the Orlando Magic in seven games and lost to the Boston Celtics in five in the second round.
Cleveland entered the 2025 playoffs as the East's No. 1 seed and swept the Miami Heat in the first round before losing to the Indiana Pacers in five. Last spring, the Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors in seven games and the Detroit Pistons in seven and got to the conference finals, a round Cleveland had not reached since 2018.
Mobley's career playoff record stands at 19-24, and he has started all 43 of those games. He blocked 32 shots in last spring's 18.
Mobley Does Not View Knicks Sweep as Wake-Up Call
The sweep ended Cleveland's deepest run of Mobley's career, but he does not see the result as evidence that the Cavaliers need to rethink everything.
"I wouldn't say it's a huge wake-up call," Mobley explained. "I mean, we made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. That's amazing. And so every single year, like I said, we've gotten better. And so I don't see why we wouldn't do it again."
Cleveland lost Game 1 115-104 in overtime at Madison Square Garden on May 19 and Game 2 109-93 there two days later. Back home, the Knicks won Game 3 121-108 before closing the series.
Mobley scored 24 points in Game 3, a series high for him. He averaged 17.0 points and 8.3 rebounds against New York.
Mobley Says Cavaliers Still Get Overlooked
Mobley said he has seen the same thing every year he has been in Cleveland when talk turns to the league's contenders.
"It's kind of crazy that people don't really mention that or they just discount it," Mobley said. "But honestly, that's how it's been every single year since I've really been here. So it's nothing new or different out of the ordinary. It's just another day."
His best guess for why was "low market Cleveland, probably," though Mobley said he did not know. He called it "just media" and said it is what it is.
The Cavaliers went 52-30 last season and finished fourth in the East.
Donovan Mitchell said Monday that losing to New York and being around that noise all summer left the group with a fire. James Harden said the playoff run left the team little time to get to know each other.
Cleveland opens the regular season Oct. 22 at the Philadelphia 76ers.
