Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers left Madison Square Garden trailing 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, but the All-Star guard made it clear after Thursday’s 109-93 loss to the New York Knicks that panic is not part of Cleveland’s mindset.
“Nothing. We just didn’t make shots,” Mitchell said when asked what went wrong offensively after Cleveland scored only 66 points over the final three quarters. “I loved everything about the looks we got.”
The Cavaliers shot 31-for-80 from the field and 9-for-35 from three-point range while missing 10 free throws. Despite the struggles, Mitchell repeatedly emphasized that Cleveland’s offensive process remained intact.
“Offensively I’m not worried at all,” Mitchell said. “We did a really good job getting to the paint trying to find guys. Sometimes you just miss the open ones.”
Mitchell finished with 26 points on 8-for-18 shooting, though he scored only seven points in the first half as the Knicks gradually took control. Cleveland briefly tied the game at 53 early in the third quarter before New York responded with an 18-0 run led by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
Hart delivered a playoff career-high 26 points and knocked down five three-pointers, capitalizing on Cleveland’s defensive focus on Brunson.
“You got to tip your cap,” Mitchell said. “They made the right plays and knocked down the shots they were supposed to make.”
Mitchell compared Hart’s performance to the way role players can punish aggressive playoff coverages, referencing defensive strategies seen around the league during the postseason.
“There’s a balance,” Mitchell said. “We’ll look at the film and figure out ways to adjust.”
Brunson followed his 38-point Game 1 performance with 19 points and a playoff career-high 14 assists in Game 2. Mitchell acknowledged Cleveland’s strategy of throwing multiple defenders toward the Knicks star opened opportunities for others.
“Maybe we contest Josh a little bit more. Maybe we don’t,” Mitchell said. “Maybe we guard Mikal different. Maybe we guard OG different. Maybe we guard KAT different.”
Even after the Knicks pushed their lead to 18 during the third quarter, Mitchell believed Cleveland still had a chance to repeat the type of comeback New York produced in Game 1.
“They made some timely shots and we didn’t,” Mitchell said. “Nothing to hang our head about.”
Mitchell also dismissed concerns about fatigue after Cleveland played two seven-game series earlier in the playoffs against Toronto and Detroit.
“We’re not tired,” Mitchell said. “We’re ready to go for Game 3.”
The Cavaliers now return home needing to defend their home floor to avoid falling into a 3-0 series deficit. Cleveland faced a similar situation in the second round after dropping the first two games against the Detroit Pistons before winning four of the next five.
“This isn’t our first time facing adversity,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been through two Game 7s.”
Mitchell also pushed back against questions about his health after television cameras showed him working through apparent discomfort during the game.
“I’m great,” Mitchell said. “No, I’m great.”
The Cavaliers’ star guard repeatedly returned to one message throughout his postgame press conference: Cleveland believes the series can still shift quickly if its shooting improves.
“We did a lot of really good things,” Mitchell said. “We just got to go to Cleveland and handle business.”
