CLEVELAND, Ohio — He can’t shoot right now, and he can b🍃arely walk in certain moments. But Donovan Mitchell is driving to the basket (and putting his injured knee in danger), anyways. Over, and over and over, until he gets knocked down or knocked out of the playoffs.
I don’t know if Donovan Mitchell wants to sign a long-term extension in Cleveland. But for a couple hours on Sunday, it sure looked like he wants to remain a Cavalier for at leꦚast one more postseason series.
Mitchell scored 39 points on 11-of-26 shooting in 46 minutes during Cleveland’s 106-94 Game 7 win, which ESPN previewed in part by debating Mitchell’s next destination during its pregame show. He did all of it on a sore knee that 𒅌looks more painful with every step. And though the star guard has limped and labored this entire series, he’s refused to use his obvious discomfort as an excuse for sub-excellent performaﷺnces.
🌟Would a p❀layer who has checked out go through all that trouble for a first-round win?
Theܫ national narrative hasn’t evolved since the Cavs traded for Mitchell during the summer of 2022. From the moment he landed in Cleveland, his new fans have read reports or watched television segments concerning how soon he can leave and how🔥 many bigger markets might better suit his star qualities. Mitchell didn’t choose Cleveland, which, apparently, he never would.
I’m not saying he will – or, frankly, that he should – now. But Mitchell spoke volumes about his commitment to this Cavs team with his p𒆙lay o💦n Sunday afternoon. On countless occasions, Mitchell attacked the rim on a bad knee like a player hungry for contact.
And by doing so, he defended his honor against the people so thirst♕y to Photoshop him into a different jersey.
Four more takeaways from Cleveland’s Game 7 win on Sunday.:
Stories by Jimmy Watkins
- Don’🍷t overreact: It co༺uld just be the future of the Cavs’ core on the line Sunday in Game 7 — Jimmy Watkins
- How Marcus Morris Sr.’s villainous 🌟past c🍌an help the Cavs win Game 6 vs. the Magic — Jimmy Watkins
- Darius Garland gives Cavs the co-star Donovan Mitchell need🅰s in Game 5 win over Magic — Jimmy Watkins
2. Caris LeVert revs back to life at perfect moment
Game 7 victories require a lucky bounce or a fortunate whistle or, in Caris LeVert’s case, a resurgence fr♛om a struggling role player.
LeVert has outplayed that title for𝕴 much of this season, during which he posted a career-high in assists (5.1) while Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell missed time with injuries. And when Game 7 required a spark, LeVert reminded Cleveland how valuable a sixth man can be at his best.
He did so by tallying 15 points, five rebounds and three assists during Game 7 on 56% shooting. And he posted those numbers one game after his personal playoff low point. LeVert scored only one point in just eight minutes during Clevelandღ’s Game 6 loss in Orlando. Perhaps a knee injury hurt his production, but the Cavs needed more from him, regardless of the reason.
Two days later, LeVert put excuses (and an excruciating first six games) behind him. He injected energy into a team that desperately needed a jolt during moments of Sunday’s game (as great bench players do). And in the process, he high꧂lighted a timeless Game 7 adage:
Your six-gam♐e successes (or struggles) don’t matter unless you maintain⛎ (or correct) them in the seventh.
3. Maybe Cavs fans knew something about Sam Merrill
The fan ba✃se’s favorite player in a playoff series is the player who could use more minutes when the team is losing. For six games, Cavs fans were convinced Sam Merrill fit the bill. And for six games, Cleveland’s coaching staff disagreed.
Merrill played 37 total minutes and logged two DNPs (including during Game 6) be꧂fore Game 7, duri🌟ng which he scored eight points and made two 3-pointers in 12 crucial minutes.
Before you say “I told you so,” consider that Merrill only made three 3-pointers during his first four games of this series, all of which came during 🎐Cleveland’s blowout loss in Game 3. And consider th𒁏at Cleveland was outscored by six points in Merrill’s limited minutes.
After Sunday, however, Merrill’s supporters can argue with credibility that Merrill’s performance could be attributed to a lack of opportunities. And the same Cleveland coaching staff that kept Merrill on such a short leash for six games might be willing to give him a longer look in the🌳 next round. They might not have advanced there without him, which means it might be time to give Cavs fans some credit.
Score one for the armchair associate coaches. Merrill could, in fact, help Cleveland if he earned m❀ore minutes.
4. Spare the Jarrett Allen toughness talk
Let me quiet this chatter ahead of time: Allen’s absence over the last two games says more about his rib injury than it does about his toughness, grit, etc. And any fan suggesting o🌜therwise is missing the point.
Allen 81 straight games (including playoffs) before missing Games 6 and 7 of this series. He played at least 60 games – at a physical position where 🗹most opponents outweigh him – for the sixth time in eight NBA seasons this year. And let’s not forget: Before injured ribs pushed Allen to the bench this postseason, he controlled the glass like no soft player ever could.
Ent🎀ering Sunday’s game, Allen sti🉐ll led all players with 55 rebounds (15 offensive) with one fewer game played. He finished the series third behind Evan Mobley and Paolo Banchero.
Cleveland could’ve used that presence during Game 7, and they’ll certainly need it against the Celtics. But tru✨st me, Allen feels the same way. And trust me, he tried every remedy Cavs fans were shouting – “take a painkiller, rub some dirt on it!” -- from their couches Sunday.
If Allen could’ve played, he would’ve. End of conversation. No need to waste words questioning a playe෴r who has already proven himself.
5. Celtics Stage Setter
This win feels good, and the Cavs feel like they have taken a tangiblꦑe step forward from last year’s playoff failure. But the next step is even steeper, and the next opponent will test, and stretch, and push challenge Cleveland even further than the gutsy Magic.
The Boston Celtics have Orlando’s same strangling defense, hold the anemic offense. Boston shoots and make🐻s more 3-pointers than any team in the league, which will force the Cavs to defend more honestly💟 than the brick-throwing Magic. The Celtics offer few (if any) places to hide a subpar defender or attack a weak spot in their defense.
They can point to 64 regular-season wins (seven more than any other team) as proof. And they can point to 83.2 playoffs games played on average among their top six minute-earners. So while Cl🔯eveland should celebrate its first playoff series win this century without LeBron James, it should also prepare itself for a LeBron-sized challenge in the next round.
Cleveland’s next series begins Tuesday at T.D. Garden 🔥in✱ Boston.
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