The Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves in a dog fight as they narrowly secured a victory over the San Antonio Spurs on April 4. Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes and Devin Vassell all broke the 20-point mark, as the Spurs found gaps in the Cavaliers’ defense.
During his post-game news conference, Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell sent a message to himself and his teammates.
“We gotta be better on all fronts,” Mitchell said. “There is no way. We gotta be better. It starts with me… We’ve gotta be better. Simple as that—Big time. We gotta go out there and take care of business on Sunday. Play a full 48 and clinch the 1 seed.”
Mitchell ended the night as the game’s top scorer, dropping 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting. However, it was the fact that Cleveland came within a possession of losing the game that likely concerned Mitchell. The Cavaliers are now one win away from securing the best record in the Eastern Conference. Mitchell will undoubtedly want his team to tighten things up as they continue to ramp up ahead of the playoffs.
Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell Speaks on MVP Race
Despite being the best player on the team with the best record in the NBA, Mitchell sits fifth in the MVP race. Kenny Atkinson’s motion-based offense, which sees everyone get a chance to shine, has likely hindered Mitchell’s chances of contending for the award.
“I’m not shocked,” Mitchell told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “Because my numbers, my usage, is not as high. I came into the season understanding if we took this approach, that would be the sacrifice. Do I feel like I’m (part of that conversation)? Hell, yeah. But understanding I don’t have the ball in my hands every single possession. And look where we are because of that. That, to me, is going to translate to winning.”
Atkinson has revolutionized the Cavaliers. They’re one of the best teams in the NBA this season. However, that success has come at a cost, and judging by his comments, it’s one Mitchell is willing to pay.
Cavaliers Have Plan for the Boston Celtics
If the Cavaliers want to win a championship this season, odds are they will need to go through the Boston Celtics. The two teams project to be on a collision course for the Eastern Conference Finals.
In a recent interview with DJ Siddiqi of Forbes, Cavaliers guard Darius Garland detailed how Atkinson’s team will look to overcome the reigning champions.
“We really have to get out on their shooters, try to limit Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as much as we can,” Garland said. “I know their two superstars are going to really try to get off against us and try to try to bully us and get as many points as they can. We really have to take away Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and Al Horford. Just trying to limit their threes and some of their points and their easy points as much as we can — just try to let those two guys beat us.”
Mitchell will also understand the size of the task at hand. Perhaps that’s why he’s holding himself and his teammates to such a high standard despite it being so late in the season.
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