INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) 鈥 Donovan Mitchell hasn鈥檛 allowed himself to enjoy leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
As the Cavaliers continued to surpass expectations and wrapped up the regular season with the NBA鈥檚 second-best record, the painful memories of what happened the last time he was on a team with a top seed provided more fuel for his leadership.
Mitchell is in a conference semifinal for the fourth time in his eight-year career. His biggest disappointment came in the 2021 playoffs, when the Utah Jazz were the top seed in the Western Conference but were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers.
As the Cavaliers prepare to open the on Sunday night against the Indiana Pacers, Mitchell is ready for another shot at getting to a conference final 鈥 and possibly beyond 鈥 for the first time.
鈥淚鈥檓 fortunate enough to have another crack at it,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just myself, but for the group, just continuing to want to take that next step. That鈥檚 why we play this game. We don鈥檛 play to have a 64-win season and be happy. We play to win the championship. That鈥檚 the goal, and that鈥檚 really what is fueling me.鈥
Utah won the first two games of that series but lost the next four to a Clippers squad that didn鈥檛 have Kawhi Leonard for the final two games after he suffered a knee injury.
Mitchell certainly did his part in that series, averaging 34.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. His step-back 3-pointer early in the third quarter in Game 6 gave the Jazz a 24-point lead, only to see the Clippers rally back for a 131-119 victory. It was the largest comeback victory 鈥 or in the Jazz鈥檚 case, a collapse 鈥 by a team in a series-clinching game over the last 25 seasons
Despite playing on an injured ankle, Mitchell nearly had a triple-double in that game with 39 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, an assistant with the Clippers in 2021, knows how much that series molded Mitchell.
“The fact that he鈥檚 been through his experiences, being the No. 1 seed, it鈥檚 huge. I feel more comfortable because this guy鈥檚 been through it. It鈥檚 happened to him before. He knows what a series looks like. He knows when the tactics change,鈥 Atkinson said. 鈥淏ecause he has that experience, he鈥檚 going to be more aggressive in communicating with me and his teammates.鈥
Mitchell has already been aggressive during the regular season, making sure the Cavaliers didn鈥檛 rest on their laurels when they started the season 15-0, reached 60 wins for the third time in franchise history 鈥 and first without LeBron James 鈥 or got the top seed in the East for the first time in eight years.
When asked for the biggest difference between the Jazz squad four years ago and the Cavs this year, Mitchell sees a bigger level of desperation instead of contentment.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just what I鈥檝e been preaching, I think guys feel it 鈥 Evan (Mobley), DG (Darius Garland), JA (Jarrett Allen), Ty (Jerome), Dre (De鈥橝ndre Hunter), Max (Struss) 鈥 we all know there鈥檚 a level of desperation among this group,鈥 Mitchell said. 鈥淣ot every series is going to be a sweep. We understand that. Maybe you get hit in the mouth, but continue to use that as fuel and work to be the best.鈥
Mitchell鈥檚 message to his teammates going into the Indiana series will be the same as before the Cavaliers took on Miami and 鈥 take care of home court and remain consistent in their approach.
He goes into the Indiana series averaging 27.8 points in the playoffs, the seventh-highest scoring average by a player with at least 50 postseason games. The All-Star guard has scored at least 30 points in seven consecutive series openers, tied with Michael Jordan for the most in league history.
Indiana won three of the four regular-season meetings. The last two came during the final week when Mitchell was sitting out due to an injured ankle and after Cleveland wrapped up the top seed.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle knows Mitchell can not only carry a team to a win in the fourth quarter, he can also determine a series.
鈥淛ust go look at Game 2 of the Miami series,鈥 Carlisle said. 鈥淢iami was playing a great game; they were hanging in, I think they had a lead, and Mitchell just elevated his game, their game, and he gets 17 in the fourth quarter, and from then on, they completely dominated the series.”
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