Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has not shied away from what he believes about himself or his team this postseason. His high expectations held constant after the Game 7 victory over the Orlando Magic.
“We are a team that can hang and play with the best and be one of the best,” Mitchell said. “I firmly believe that. . . We know who we are, a team that is a contender.”
That view isn’t shared by many outside of the Cavs organization — and rightfully so. The same flaws from last postseason showed throughout the first round against an inexperienced Magic team that the Cavs likely should have put away quickly. Instead, the supporting cast around Mitchell crumbled. An issue that was only amplified by Jarrett Allen’s absence. Mitchell had to single-handily carry the Cavs across the finish line.
That isn’t how contenders handle their business in the first round.
“We won one series,” Mitchell said. “I don’t know how else to say [this], like, this is great and I’m happy that we did it, but we haven’t accomplished anything yet.”
The Cavs are in the midst of what seems like a no-win situation. They were expected to beat the Magic to redeem their collapse from the previous season, but have only an outside shot against the Boston Celtics, who finished with the best record in the NBA. Cleveland will also need to prove they can win on the road, something this core has not done together, going as far back as their 2022 Play-In loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
“For us coming into Boston, I’m pretty sure everybody thinks they’re gonna come in and kick our ass,” Mitchell said. “So for us to continue to stay level-headed throughout and not listen to y’all and just be who we are.”
Cleveland’s front office went all in on the Mitchell trade with the idea of him taking them over the top in the playoffs. He did that against Orlando but will need some help to make the series competitive.
The supporting cast has been inconsistent at best on the offensive side of the floor. Darius Garland can’t stop disappearing for quarters at a time, Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro have been excellent defensively. But they haven’t been as good on offense and the bench has provided little to no support. Mitchell wasn’t brought in to rescue them from a disaster but to serve as the cherry on top of a promising core. He’s been tasked with doing the former this postseason.
Mitchell has made it clear that he wants to compete for championships. He isn’t content with moral victories in the second round. Whether or not the Cavs can sell him on the idea that they are actually competing for something more will likely determine Mitchell’s future.
A victory over the Magic doesn’t do that. Beating a team like Boston could.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Mitchell said of winning Game 7. “We accomplished one goal, now we have to do it again. That’s the mindset. We could celebrate for a few hours, but we ain’t got time to do all that. When they traded for me it [wasn’t] just to win a first-round series, you know? It’s to continue to push and move forward.”
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