The Cleveland Cavaliers are on a mission to show the world that they aren’t just regular-season giants and can win the Finals even with the services of LeBron James, who has abandoned the franchise for greener pastures twice now.
The Cavs took another step toward achieving that goal on Wednesday evening, when they defeated the Miami Heat to improve to 2-0 in the series. The Cavs had to stave off a late comeback attempt from the Heat, but ultimately, star guard Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and ensured Cleveland escaped with a victory.
After the game, Mitchell talked about his mindset when he’s on the floor with the game in the balance.
“I’ve worked really hard to be in those moments,” Mitchell said, according to ESPN. “You’re fatigued or whatever, but you put your head down and get to the spots.”
“I feel like when we need him he gives it, he knows the moment,” Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said of his star player. “He doesn’t do it when we’re up 10 or 15 [points]. He’ll wait and wait.
“I think that’s the maturity level he’s gotten to where he is in his career, understanding what the situation is, what the moment is.”
“I love the fact that the game happened like this; I’d much rather this than win by 20,” Mitchell said of the nailbiter. “Especially going into an environment like we are in a few days [in Miami]. We had to really find a way as a group.”
The Miami Heat aren’t going to go down quietly, but if Mitchell can keep digging in for the Cavs, there’s no reason Cleveland can’t come out of the series and earn some much-deserved extra time off heading into the second round.
