Donovan Mitchell is ready for Boston despite Cavaliers’ ‘inconsistent’ reputation
“For us coming into Boston — I’m pretty sure everyone thinks they’re going to come in and kick our a--," Mitchell said following Sunday's Game 7 win versus Orlando Magic.
Heading into Round 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Celtics, Cavaliers front-man Donovan Mitchell wants to set the record straight.
“I feel like there’s a rep about us or whatever that we’re inconsistent,” Mitchell said following Cleveland’s 106-94 Game 7 win over the Orlando Magic Sunday night. “At the end of the day, we’re gonna be solid, we’re gonna do our job.”
The Cavaliers’ postseason success – in which they’ll see the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time without Lebron James on their their roster since 1993, 31 years ago – will rely heavily on Mitchell’s performance.
Mitchell — who has had his best two career seasons since being traded to Cleveland from the Jazz in 2022 — is currently averaging 26 points, five rebounds, and six assists per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field.
Throughout their hot and cold regular season, Cleveland was 16-5 when Mitchell scored 30 or more points and were 32-29 when he didn’t.
The postseason has followed a similar tune, too. During Game 4, the Cavs allowed the Magic to erase a 9-point deficit late in the third quarter with a 31-5 run. Cleveland, failing to respond, looked towards Mitchell for help. But the star receded into the background for the loss with just 18 points.
“I don’t just speak for myself, I speak for everybody down the line. For us, we are a team that can hang with the best and be the best,” Mitchell said.
Indeed, the Cavaliers have shown over the past two seasons that with Mitchell, they can rise to the occasion against talented teams. And after getting knocked out of the first round of the playoffs in 2023, Mitchell says his squad is continuing to develop down the stretch.
“Obviously it’s not going to be pretty, I’ve said this all year,” Mitchell said. “But this is part of a growth process, to see us grow up in a series.”
Now, as the Cavaliers prepare to face off against the No. 1 seeded Celtics, Mitchell is focused on trying to rewrite the postseason script.
“For us coming into Boston — I’m pretty sure everyone thinks they’re going to come in and kick our a–. So for us, to continue to stay level-headed through it all, not listen to y’all, and be who we are — that’s the biggest thing,” he said.
Boston, coming off a dominant trio of games to close their series against the Heat, will have home court advantage for Tuesday’s Game 1. The Celtics are 37-4 at home this season.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals tips off at 7 p.m. Tuesday at TD Garden.
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