Cavaliers must get over hump as expectations rise, GM says - ESPN

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Koby Altman realizes expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers going into next season will be much different.

Such is life for a franchise that was the top seed in the Eastern Conference but had their postseason run end in disappointment, losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Altman, the Cavaliers president of basketball operations, knows the most important goals during the offseason are trying to make sure the roster is mentally and physically tougher to handle being looked at as one of the top teams in the league when training camp begins in late September.

«I think we can all agree that coming into the season no one predicted us to be (the) No. 1 seed. I don't think anyone had 64 wins. Because we were so good we recreated the expectation of Finals. I think everyone in here saw potential champions, which is a new space for us,» Altman said. «We recreated the expectation and now we have to live with that. I think it's a space we want to live in and take that into the playoffs next year, knowing we're going to have to change that narrative, knowing that we have get over the hump.»

The Cavaliers have had steady improvement the last four seasons as they rebuilt the roster after four straight trips to the NBA Finals (2015-18) and a 2016 NBA title during LeBron James' second stint.

Altman has built a solid core group with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. The group has played together for three seasons and has proven it can be formidable in the regular season. They had a 16-win improvement in NBA Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson's first season and were the East's top seed for the first time in nine years.

The next step though is advancing beyond