CLEVELAND, Ohio – The game has been oveꩵr for a ♑while, and in my mind I can still hear the fans chanting “LET’S GO CAVS.”
Close your eyes: You can still see 𝔉the fans standin🌺g, stomping, waving white towels.
Use your imagination: You can feel Rock🦋et Mortgage FieldHouse shake, even tho𝓀ugh the fans are gone.
Stories by Terry Pluto
Game 7 of the playoffs, and the Cavs are headed to the second round to face Boston.
Game 7, thꦏe Cavs were behind by 18 points in the second quarter.
Game 7, weren’t you worried your team was aboꦐut to be blown out … at home?
Game 7!!!
“The best two words in sports,” Donovan Mitchell said before t𝔉his game.
They sound even better than best, given what happened on this Sunday afternoon at Ro🅺cket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cavs rose from the basketball dead to live for another round of the playoffs.
J.B. Bickerstaff pulled his team together after they were down by 18 points in the second quarter. Then they came back to win Game 7 over Orlando. Joshua Gunter, iccwins888.com
THIS IS A BIG DEAL
For the Cavs, this was one of best days in a long time, at least since 2018. That was the final LeBron James season 🦩in Cleveland when they went to the NBA Finals and lost to the Warriors.
Winning this series was the first time the Cavs have won a round of the playoffs without James since🌺 … get this … 1993. That was the Lenny Wilkens, Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Larry Nance and Hot Rod Williams Era.
Winning t🐈his series was the first time coa♛ch J.B. Bickerstaff has prevailed in the playoffs.
Winning this season broke a streak of being knocked off in the previous t💮hree first rounds for Mi♎tchell.
Winning🍬 this series should remind Cavs fans that their team ha🍒s done something right in the last few years under the leadership of President Koby Altman.
Winning this series when it seemed many in Cavs Nation were looking for🀅 Bickerstaff’s replacement – even before the series was over.
Winning this series … in Game 7 … 🌊at home … w▨hen it looked like all was lost …
“This is why you fight for home-court advantage,” said Bickerstaff. “This is the moment. This is what competition is all abo💞𒅌ut.”
This is fun.
TRUE BASKETBALL GREATNESS
And Mit𒊎chell delivered one of the best Game 7 performances in Cavs history … in any round. He fi♑nished with 39 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Mitchell was on shaky terms with his jumper. He was 2 of 8 on 3-point shots. As he said after his 50-point performance in the Game 6 loss at Orlando, “I can’t make a 3 (pointer) to save💜 my life right now.”
In🔯stead, Mitchell took the ball to the rim. Over and over and over. Drive. Take the bumps, 🌱the shoves and elbows.
Make a layup, get knocked to the floor.
Then get up. Go to the foul line. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Giveܫ ༺your heart a few seconds to stop pounding in your chest.
Then ma🐠ke the free throws. Mitchell was 15 of 17 at thꦯe foul line.
In Game 7,🧸 the fans chanted “M-Vღ-P … M-V-P” when Mitchel was at the foul line.
You can say it right now if you’d like … no൲ question, on this team Miꦉtchell is indeed “M-V-P.”
Mitchell has scored 89 points𝕴 in the 🦄last two games.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland celebrates with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. Joshua Gunter, iccwins888.com
TRUE LEADERSHIP
But there’s something else that made him “M-V-P”.
It was how he kept talking to Darius Garland ෴during the game. Garland was having a miserable afternoon. His shot was clanking off the rim. He was doing those endless circle dribbling drives to seemingly nowhere. He was abused on defense.
Mitchell kept telling Garland to keep shooting. He hugged him. He whispered 🐼to him. More than once, he raised his voice to let Garland kn𝔉ow this was not the time to give up. Finally, Garland hit a couple key shots, scoring seven points in the fourth quarter.
That also was🙈 the same message he delivered to the rest of the team.
Don’t give up … not now.
And they responded.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero slams into Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro as is called for charge in the second half of play. The Cavs outscored Orlando by 25 points with Okoro on the court. Joshua Gunter, iccwins888.com
A TEAM EFFORT
With star cent🐠er Jarrett Allen out with bruised ribs, Evan Mobley delivered an Allen-type performance with 16 rebounds, 11 points and five blocks.
Caris LeVert has been bothered by🌼 a sore knee. He came off the bench and scored 15 points, 🐠adding five rebounds and some drive-to-rim ruggedness desperately needed.
Max Strus hit a trio of desperately needed 3-point shots. Sam M♛errill put eight points next to his name in 11 minutes.
The most und💝errated player was Isaac Okoro, who played rugged defense on Orlando star Paolo Banchero in the second half. The Cavs out𓄧scored Orlando by 25 points with Okoro on the court.
“LET’S GO CAVS!”
That’s right, Cavs fans … your team is headed to Boston fo🎉r Tuesday’s Game 1 in t🍌he next round of the playoffs.
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