Donovan Mitchell had hoped that this Cleveland Cavaliers team would be the one to take him to the conference finals for the first time in his career. However, his postseason ended in disappointment once again as the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Cavaliers with a 114-105 victory on Tuesday night.
Despite playing 38 minutes and scoring 39 points, Mitchell’s performance wasn’t enough to prevent Cleveland from falling short. He played through a sprained left ankle, which had made him questionable just hours before the game. Mitchell had reaggravated the injury in the previous game against Indiana, where he missed the second half.
Before the game, Mitchell provided an indication that he would play, and the team’s coach, Kenny Atkinson, confirmed he had participated in the morning shootaround. Mitchell went on to start the game, showing no signs of the injury early on, especially in the first quarter, where he had 13 points. However, despite his aggressive play, Mitchell struggled from the field throughout the game, finishing 8-for-25 shooting and 4-for-13 from three-point range. He did, however, make 15 of 21 free throws.
Mitchell missed three crucial free throws with the Cavaliers trailing by six points in the final minutes. While he made a three-pointer shortly after, the Pacers sealed the game with an 8-2 run to end the contest. Reflecting on the loss, Mitchell was emotional, saying, “We just didn’t get the job done. Nothing else needs to be said. … We let the city down. We let each other down.”
The Cavaliers had swept Miami in the first round of the playoffs but couldn’t find an answer to the Pacers’ fast-paced play and endurance. Mitchell pointed to Game 1 as the turning point of the series, where Indiana mounted a decisive 15-4 run in the fourth quarter to win 121-112. In Game 2, Cleveland blew a 20-point lead and lost by one point, 120-119.
“I think Game 1 set the tone. And obviously, guys are out for Game 2 and you’re fighting an uphill battle,” Mitchell said. “We had some mental lapses. You can’t have that because you’re fighting an uphill battle against a team with the fastest pace in history.”
Cleveland, who had one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league during the regular season (38.3%), struggled from beyond the arc in the series, shooting just 29.4%, including a disappointing 9-for-35 on Tuesday night.
Coach Atkinson acknowledged the disappointment, stating that the goal was to reach the conference finals, and falling short was not considered a success. “Quite honestly, I expected more coming off the Miami series,” he said.
This marks the second time Mitchell has played on a top-seeded team that failed to make it to the conference finals. In 2021, his Utah Jazz team also lost in the playoffs, this time to the LA Clippers in six games.
With a 64-18 regular season record, including three streaks of 12 or more wins, Mitchell and the Cavaliers are left wondering what went wrong in their quest for the NBA title. “We have a window with this group. I believe in this team. That’s what just (stinks). We’re a good team, but ultimately for three games, we didn’t seem it,” Mitchell said. “There is going to be a lot of talk (from the media). We didn’t capitalize, so everyone is going to write us off. It’s, ‘What are we going to do about it next year?’”
Mitchell’s resolve remained strong as he reflected on the future: “Y’all are going to say a lot of (stuff). And that’s what it takes. I’ve been here.”
