The Cavs need their best player to play like it if they want to get out of Round 1.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t been great on offense in the first round against the Orlando Magic, it’s still surprising to see how much Donovan Mitchell has struggled. Unfortunately, after nine playoff games played with the Cavs, this has become somewhat of a recurring theme for Mitchell.
Sure, in Game 1 against Orlando, Mitchell erupted for 30 points, establishing the tone and standard Cleveland needed to play with throughout the playoffs. He followed that performance with 23 points, helping the Cavs enforce their will and build a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Magic.
But since then, the Cavs suffered two frustrating road playoff losses, that commanding series lead has been erased and now it’s a best-of-three series. During all of it Mitchell has been relatively one note, making the tone he set seem like it only plays on Cleveland airwaves.
Donovan Mitchell hasn’t been great for Cavs vs. Magic
In Game 3, where the Cavs suffered their worst playoff loss in franchise history, Mitchell could only score 13 points. In a pivotal Game 4, Mitchell was able to score 18 points in the first half and help Cleveland build a nine-point halftime lead. He couldn’t add to that, though going 0-4 from the floor in the second half while the Cavs were blindsided and left dumbfounded by the time the final buzzer sounded.
“I have to be better … it’s simple,” Mitchell said postgame “Both games we’ve lost, I haven’t been myself. It’s that simple.
“… As much of the success I get, I deserve the criticism, too, and I hold myself to that. My teammates probably hate that I’m saying it, but it’s just a fact. I can’t have 18 points in the first half and zero in the second, on four shots.”
While it’s great that Mitchell has the self-awareness to recognize he wasn’t great in Game 4, he hasn’t been at his best all series against Orlando. His 15 turnovers, which have resulted in 15 points scored for the Magic, are more than his seven made three-pointers, where he’s shooting a ghastly 25%.
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Granted, this all doesn’t fall on the shoulders of Mitchell – especially with Cleveland struggling to find overall consistency on the perimeter and Darius Garland has been a dud this series. But, when teams struggle like this like the Cavs are right now, they need their best player to rise to the occasion which is something Mitchell has failed to do.
That’s why Cleveland is now in the position they’re in, facing a possible do-or-die Game 5 with Orlando having the confidence and swagger to possibly be the first road team to win in this series. If the Cavs want to prevent that from happening and possibly build momentum toward ending this series in six games, it starts and ends with Mitchell being better.
If Mitchell fails to live up to the expectations he and so many others have put on him, then Cleveland could very well see their season end much sooner than expected. In that possible doomsday scenario, the Cavs would be sent reeling with more questions than answers about what this team could possibly be with Mitchell leading them.
