Donovan Mitchell put on a stellar 39-point performance to help the Cleveland Cavaliers get to a 106-94 win in Game 7 against the Orlando Magic. The Cavs were in massive trouble in the first half as Magic took an 18-point lead and stunned the home side. But the Cavaliers cut it down towards the end of the first half to keep themselves in the game. Donovan Mitchell put the team on his back and brought the Cavs back into the matchup.
The young guard had 17 points in the third quarter, which helped the Cavaliers massively as they turned things around completely to take a lead in the game. Mitchell was certainly brilliant, but the Cavs also stepped up defensively as they contained Magic to a mere 15 points in the third quarter. Their resiliency helped them pull things back and take the Game 7 at home.
Donovon Mitchell became the first player since LeBron James to lead the Cavaliers to a playoff series win. The team are now set to face a Boston Celtics team in the Conference Semis. Although it is going to be a difficult task, the Cavs have a talented side that is capable of defeating any team in the league. They had a stellar run in the regular season where they went 18-2 for a period. It was since the All-Star break that things started going downhill for them. Boston will be without Kristpas Porzingis for at least a few more weeks. The Cavs will be hoping to cash in on his absence and make something out of the series.
Can the Cleveland Cavaliers surprise the Boston Celtics in the second round?
The Cleveland Cavaliers do not have enough time to rest as they are set to take on the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. A huge sigh of relief for them is that they may have the services of Jarrett Allen back for this series. Allen is one of the best players on the team and his defense is what makes the Cavaliers a tough side to beat. Without him, the Cavs seemed to struggle in the series against Orlando as the likes of Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero were able to easily dominate in the paint area.
Donovan Mitchell has been playing like a real star in the playoffs, but the Cavs will need contributions from their other guard Darius Garland as well. The young guard has just over 14 PPG in the playoffs, which shows how much the team is dependent on Mitchell to carry the offense. Garland will be faced with an even tougher challenge in this series as he will be up against the likes of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, who are the best backcourt defense in the NBA. Creating plays against them is very difficult and the kind of form he is in, the Cavs will have to find a way to get something else going if they are to stay competitive in the series.
The Boston Celtics won the regular season series between the two teams. However, the Cavaliers are not going to let that affect them in the playoffs. On their day, the Cavs are a tough side to beat. They play great defense and it will be interesting to see if that helps them survive the mighty Celtics.
