Donovan Mitchell said he was "tired" of losing in the first round of the NBA Playoffs after his 39-point haul dragged the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday. (More Basketball News)
The Cavs were on the brink of an early exit as they trailed the Orlando Magic by 18 points in Game 7, only for𝓀 Mitchell to turn the contest on its head with a stunning third quarter.
Mitchell outscored tꦕhe entire Orlando team by two points in the third, when he poured in 17 of his 39 points.
Darius Garland then scored 10 points to help Cleveland pull clear♊ in the fourth as they claimed a 106-94 victory, winning a playoff series without LeBron James for the first time since 1993.
Mitchell, who has been playing th♛rough a lingering knee injury for much of the season💖, says postseason success has always been the aim since his 2022 trade from the Utah Jazz.
"I'm tired of lꩵosing in the first round. You work too hard, we work too hard," Mitchell said. "That was my mindset, just to be in attack mode.
ꦯ"I'm battling through what I'm battling th𝓰rough, but I could battle through it and figure it out or rehab it for the next three or four months. That's where I'm at mentally.
"We didn't🦋 make the group we made just to come in and win the first round. We accomplished one goal, now we have to do it again. That's the mindset.
"When they traded for me, it wasn't j🥂ust to win a first-round series, it was to continue to push and move forward. I think that's where all of our heads are at."
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Mitchell: ✱"He's the guy that can pull everybody along, not just with his skill but in spirit as well.
"When you see your team-mate, a guy you care about playing that way, you don't want to let that guy down so you go out and do whatever you can 𓂃to help that guy.
"We talk about how everybody has their styꦜle and their piece of leadership here and that's how Don leads, by being special in the moment🐲. His team-mates want to be a part of it."
