Donovan Mitchell on the Cavs:
“We haven’t done anything. This is the 1st round.”
Mitchell has never missed the playoffs in his career but has also never advanced past the 2nd round.
Getty
Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers could headline the NBA trade rumor mill this summer.
The Cleveland Cavaliers handled business with ease in Game 7 on Sunday night.
Donovan Mitchell checked into the do-or-die battle for 35 minutes and didn’t have a strong shooting night. He went 9-20 from the field and 2-9 from three. Still, Mitchell contributed to a team-high 22 points.
In addition to his scoring, the star guard came down with three rebounds and dished out one assist. It was a game that was on the quiet side by Mitchell’s standards, but it was more than enough to win.
The Cavaliers took down the Raptors with a 114-102 victory. Toronto’s season ended there. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers get out of what turned out to be a difficult series after the ideal start.
GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO – DECEMBER 31: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Rocket Arena on December 31, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The thing about winning Game 7 is that finding success in the challenge feels like such a major deal.
But for the Cavaliers, they understand that the task at hand is not getting out of the first round. Mitchell has plenty of experience throughout his NBA career. With nine seasons of playoff runs under his belt, Mitchell has exceeded past round one plenty of times.
It’s getting to the Conference Finals round that has proved to be difficult for the star guard. With his past, Mitchell is sending a clear message after the Toronto series. The theme? We haven’t done anything yet.
“Would we have loved to win this series three games ago? Sure, but it’s not how it happened, and it’s not how it works. Where do you go? Who are you as a group, and who are you as a person? It also helps when you got a lot of playoff experience,” Mitchell told reporters.
Donovan Mitchell on the Cavs:
“We haven’t done anything. This is the 1st round.”
Mitchell has never missed the playoffs in his career but has also never advanced past the 2nd round.
“… This is four years now where we’ve been through playoffs now. Honestly, some of them have gone south and haven’t really gone our way. It’s really just a matter of sticking together and being a collective. Then, you’ve got James, who has been through 17 of these. It just shows that collectively, when you continue to believe in each other and dig down deep, you can keep going. But we haven’t done anything. It’s the first round, but we just got to keep going.”
Sometimes, going seven games to get to the next round comes with a major downside. That all depends if the next opponent was able to get some rest or not.
In the Cavaliers’ case, they are facing a team that finished their round just hours before them.
The Detroit Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic in seven games. As a younger team, the Pistons don’t carry a ton of playoff experience with them, which could be another benefit for them.
Mitchell and the Cavs are taking it one day at a time. Although they finished strong over the Raptors, there is still a lot of work to do.
Justin Grasso Justin Grasso is an NBA reporter, covering trending league news, transactions, injuries, and player developments. He is a credentialed journalist with nearly a decade of insider access. More about Justin Grasso
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