Donovan Mitchell Says Cavaliers Didn’t Trade For Him ‘Just To Win A First-Round Series’

The Cavaliers lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in five games. While Mitchell is happy Cleveland defeated Orlando, the All-Star has bigger goals in mind. 

“We didn’t make the group we made just to come in and win the first round,” Mitchell said. “We accomplished one goal, now we have to do it again. That’s the mindset. … When they traded for me, it wasn’t just to win a first-round series. It was to continue to push and move forward. And I think that’s where all of our heads are at.”

The Cavaliers were down 18 to the Magic in Game 7. It appeared Cleveland would lose in the first round again.

However, Mitchell wouldn’t let that happen. 

“I’m tired of losing in the first round,” Mitchell said. “You work too hard. We work too hard. That was my mindset … for me, just be in attack mode. I’m battling through what I’m battling through, 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.”

Mitchell scored 39 points in Game 7 while shooting 11-of-27 from the field, 2-of-8 from 3 and 15-of-17 from the free-throw line. He finished the Magic series averaging 28.7 points. 

“He’s a competitor,” Darius Garland said. “He’s a go-getter. He’s a winner — that’s all he talks about. He wants us to get over this hump. He’s going to do anything possible to get us over it.”

Mitchell had 89 points in Games 6 and 7, the second most in Games 6 and 7 of a series in NBA postseason history. Only Allen Iverson in 2001 vs. the Milwaukee Bucks had more.

“[Mitchell is] the guy that can pull everybody along, not just with his skill but in spirit as well,” Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff said. “When you see your teammate, 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 to help that guy.

“We talk about how everybody has their style and their piece of leadership here and that’s how Don leads, by being special in the moment. His teammates want to be a part of it.”

The Cavaliers face the Boston Celtics, the best team record-wise in the NBA, in the second round.