Entering this year’s postseason, Donovan Mitchell had been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in back-to-back years – and four of the last five – with the Cavaliers and Jazz. He said after Sunday’s Game 7 win that he was determined not to let that happen again, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
“I’m tired of losing in the first round,” Mitchell said. “You work too hard. We work too hard. That was my mindset … for me, just be in attack mode. I’m battling through what I’m battling through, but I could battle through it and figure it out, or rehab it for the next three or four months. That’s where I’m at mentally.”
Mitchell, who continues to deal with a knee issue that seemed to be bothering him on Sunday, got off to a slow start in Game 7, but went on a huge run after the Magic built an 18-point lead midway through the second quarter. At one point, Andrews notes, Mitchell outscored Orlando 20-19 on his own from the middle of the second quarter through the end of the third. As Andrews details, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the star guard – who finished with 39 points – was leading the way for the Cavs not just with his play on the court but with his attitude during the comeback.
“[Mitchell is] the guy that can pull everybody along, not just with his skill but in spirit as well,” Bickerstaff said. “When you see your teammate, a guy you care about playing that way, you don’t want to let that guy down so you go out and do whatever you can to help that guy. We talk about how everybody has their style and their piece of leadership here and that’s how Don leads, by being special in the moment. His teammates want to be a part of it.”
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- The first-round victory over Orlando represents the first time Cleveland has won a playoff series since LeBron James‘ 2018 departure, but simply advancing to the second round isn’t the goal. As Andrews relays, Bickerstaff told reporters that “we’re not done yet” and his players echoed that message. “We didn’t make the group we made just to come in and win the first round,” Mitchell said. “We accomplished one goal, now we have to do it again. That’s the mindset. … When they traded for me, it wasn’t just to win a first-round series, it was to continue to push and move forward. And I think that’s where all of our heads are at.”
- As Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes, the Cavaliers made just 28.7% of their three-point shots vs. Orlando, were out-rebounded, committed more turnovers and fouls, and were outscored by 31 points over the seven-game series. It wasn’t the sort of performance that inspires much confidence in their chances vs. the league-best Celtics, but Mitchell doesn’t mind entering that series as underdogs. “For us coming into Boston, I’m pretty sure everybody thinks they’re going to come in and kick our ass,” Mitchell said. “(We need to) continue to stay level-headed throughout, not listen to, well, y’all, and just be who we are. That’s the biggest thing.”
- It was an up-and-down series for Mitchell’s backcourt mate Darius Garland, who played well in Games 5 and 6 but averaged just 12.0 points per game on 41.9% shooting in the first four games of the series and contributed 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting on Sunday. However, as Tom Withers of The Associated Press details, Garland made a big three-pointer in the fourth quarter off an assist from Mitchell, who hugged him after the shot forced a Magic timeout. “He knew that I was a little bit down in the first half, but he kept trusting me,” Garland said. “It’s cool just having him in my ear a little bit, just telling me to keep going, stay confident in myself. I really needed it.”
The absence of Mitchell puts Cleveland in a dire situation as it tries to even the series. The Cavs trail the top-seeded Celtics, 2-1, after losing Game 3 on their home floor.