The Cleveland Cavaliers’ once-promising postseason now teeters on the edge of collapse, and the status of Donovan Mitchell looms large over what could be their final stand. Mitchell, the Cavs' undeniable engine and emotional leader, is officially listed as questionable for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, a matchup that now holds win-or-go-home stakes for Cleveland.

The five-time All-Star reaggravated an already nagging lower leg injury during Sunday’s 129–109 Game 4 humiliation, leaving fans and teammates clinging to hope that he can suit up when everything is on the line.

At halftime of Game 4, with the Cavs trailing by 4, a deficit that tied for the largest in NBA playoff history, Mitchell emerged to warm up but quickly signaled something was wrong. As he rose for a jump shot near the top of the key, pain shot through his lower leg. Shaking his head and crouching in discomfort, he slowly returned to the locker room, not to be seen again that night. The Cavs later confirmed he had sustained a left ankle injury, though he’d already been laboring through a calf strain that first flared up in Game 2.

Despite the troubling signs after Game 4, Mitchell remained defiant.

“I will be good for Tuesday. You know me. I’ll see you Tuesday,” he told reporters with a wry smile after the game.

Regardless, there are no guarantees. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson offered no clarity postgame, saying only that Mitchell would undergo an MRI and, despite reports from elsewhere, his availability remains unknown.

It’s a cruel twist for a player who had been magnificent throughout the series, averaging over 40 points per game through the first three contests. Even in the Game 2 loss, he poured in 48 points, nearly willing a short-handed Cavs squad to a win. But without him fully healthy, or without him at all, Cleveland looks lost.

In his abbreviated 20-minute outing in Game 4, Mitchell tallied just 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting. The Cavs were outscored by 35 points with him on the court.

Injuries have been a recurring theme for this Cleveland group. Mitchell’s calf. Evan Mobley’s ankle. Darius Garland’s toe. De’Andre Hunter’s dislocated thumb. The team has shown a reputation for caution in such matters, but the stakes this time are different. The margin of error is now nonexistent.

The Pacers, by contrast, come in nearly at full strength, save for Isaiah Jackson, who is out with a torn Achilles. Indiana has shown cohesion and killer instinct, most evident in the surgical dismantling of Cleveland in Game 4. The Cavs were disjointed, lacking identity and fire, two qualities Mitchell typically provides in abundance.

It’s that absence, both literal and metaphorical, that cuts deepest. Without Mitchell, the Cavs aren't just a star short. They’re lacking their soul. His presence stabilizes Garland. It energizes Mobley. Mitchell's absence, even when just diminished, leaves a vacuum no one else on the roster has consistently filled.

“Right now we’ve just got to focus on us and focus on who we have,” Mobley said after Game 4. “Hopefully, he’s good. Going to have to be whoever the next man up is, and we’re going to have to step up. The main thing right now is just to focus on our next game.”

That’s easier said than done. Because for all the talk of depth and resilience, the Cavs’ season, their identity, their postseason hopes, may hinge on one player’s ability to fight through pain and deliver one more night of brilliance.

Heading into Game 5, the stakes are crystal clear for the Cavs: Win and live to fight another day, or fall and face an offseason full of what-ifs. However, if Donovan Mitchell can’t go or can't be the version of himself that electrified the first three games, Cleveland may already have one foot out of the playoffs.