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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
NBA Playoffs: Donovan Mitchell leads Cleveland Cavaliers to first | |
playoff series win without LeBron James in 31 years | |
By Matias Grez, CNN | |
Updated: | |
6:26 AM EDT, Mon May 6, 2024 | |
Source: CNN | |
The Cleveland Cavaliers fought back from an 18-point first-half deficit | |
to beat the Orlando Magic 106-94 in a thrilling Game 7 and book a spot | |
in the second round of the . | |
After training 49-31 towards the end of the second quarter, | |
Cleveland’s fightback in the second half was led by hobbled star | |
guard Donovan Mitchell, who outscored the entire Magic team 17-15 in | |
the third quarter. | |
Mitchell scored a game-high 39 points to go with nine rebounds and five | |
assists to lead the Cavs to the franchise’s first playoff series win | |
without LeBron James in 31 years. | |
After scoring 50 points in Game 6, Mitchell’s 89 points in the final | |
two games of a playoff series is the second-highest total in NBA | |
history behind only Allen Iverson’s 90 points for the Philadelphia | |
76ers against the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2001 Eastern Conference | |
Finals, per ABC. | |
“I’m tired of losing in the first round,” Mitchell, who is still | |
struggling with a knee injury, told reporters, per ESPN. “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 was helped out by 15 points from Caris LeVert and 11 points, | |
16 rebounds and five blocks from center Evan Mobley. | |
Paulo Banchero led the Magic with 38 points, 16 rebounds and three | |
steals. | |
The Cavaliers will now face the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics in the | |
Eastern Conference semifinals, where the team will be the considerable | |
underdog. | |
Despite going into that series with the odds stacked against them – | |
their chances not helped by Mitchell’s lingering knee issues – the | |
five-time NBA All-Star, acquired by Cleveland in a huge trade back in | |
2022 with the view of challenging for a championship, was bullish about | |
his team’s chances after downing the Magic. | |
“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.” | |
Game 1 of the Cavaliers-Celtics series takes place on Tuesday night at | |
TD Garden in Boston. | |
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