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CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 20: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates during the third quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena on April 20, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Raptors 115-105. 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)
Donovan Mitchell will be business as usual for his first-ever conference finals as his Cleveland Cavaliers take on the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night.
Hours before tip-off for Game 1, Mitchell declared that the series is a business trip in New York, not a homecoming for him. Mitchell is a native of Elmsford, New York, in Westchester County, nearly a 45-minute drive from Madison Square Garden where the Knicks will host the games.
“I’m excited but in the end of the day, this is a business trip,” Mitchell said via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “This isn’t something where I’m here to be like, ‘Man, I’m so excited to be home.’ I did that already. And we lost.”
“We got to go out there and execute and find a way to win,” he added.
“This is a business trip. This isn’t something where I’m here to be like, ‘Man, I’m so excited to be home.’ I did that already. And we lost.” – Westchester County, NY native Donovan Mitchell on the Cavs’ second playoff series versus his hometown Knicks in the last four years
Come tip-off, Mitchell is just over 48 hours removed from winning a Game 7 in Detroit, toppling the Pistons, whose squad finished the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
It is already Mitchell’s deepest playoff run in his nine-year career, as during his time with the Utah Jazz, where he led the team to the top seed for multiple seasons, he failed to go over the second round.
In his first two seasons with the Cavaliers, Mitchell likewise struggled to go over the hump, losing in back-to-back second rounds.
Now, Mitchell has the chance to finally shatter his ceiling and break out as a superstar against the Knicks, who won their second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers via sweep.
Mitchell will be backstopped by James Harden, who has not played in the conference finals for the last eight years.
GettyCleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell reacts during a game. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Donovan Mitchell’s inability to reach the conference finals has held him back since emerging as a star in 2017.
Against the Knicks, he has a chance to prove himself versus a squad he watched closely growing up. In an interview with Andscape, Mitchell reflected on finally reaching the conference finals after nine years in the NBA.
“It’s been nine long years,” he said. “I’m in a situation where you manifest it, you think about it and then when it gets here, you have really a few hours to be happy about it today. You got to move on. But it’s a blessing to be able to do this with my teammates, our family. It’s a milestone. It’s something big, for sure, but at the end of the day, it still doesn’t mean anything without a [championship] ring.
Mitchell dropped 26 points, six rebounds, and eight assists in 31 minutes in Game 7 against the Pistons to punch his ticket to the East Finals.
Mitchell will be matched up against the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, who has been terrific in the playoffs so far.
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 23: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks tries to keep the ball from Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fourth quarter during Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 23, 2023 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-93. 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 Elsa/Getty Images)
The Cavaliers-Knicks Eastern Conference Finals will be tipping off on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
The game is expected to feature a jam-packed Madison Square Garden full of celebrities, a norm for the Knicks in the playoffs.
However, it remains unclear how receptive the Knicks fans will be to the New York native Mitchell.
Rob Andrew Lo Rob Andrew Lo is a writer at Heavy Sports and is covering the NBA. He has covered local, collegiate, professional and international sports in various sites. He was the sports editor of The Varsitarian, the official student publication of University of Santo Tomas, and a sports, entertainment, and lifestyle writer for Rappler. A Journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas, he has built his voice across both collegiate and international platforms, previously contributing NBA coverage to Fansided and Sportskeeda. More about Rob Andrew Lo
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