Donovan Mitchell’s leap shows Cavs what NBA playoffs require

On Apr 16, 2023

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CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell had been telling his younger Cavaliers teammates for months what the NBA playoffs require.

On Saturday night, he showed them.

Mitchell didn’t just register a game-high 38 points and eight assists to go along with five rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot in 44 minutes.

The All-Star guard also demonstrated how to play with a sense of desperation the Cavs will need to bounce back from their 101-97 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series.

“It’s the playoffs. You’ve got to do what’s necessary,” Mitchell said. “Every possession matters.”

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The example unfolded late in the first half after Mitchell missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

As Mitchell pursued the ball for a long rebound, he saved it from going out of bounds, but his momentum carried him to a broadcast table on the sideline with 1:36 left in the second quarter. Instead of crashing into the table, he stepped onto it. And rather than falling off the table, he leaped into the stands.

“That was pretty wild,” Cavs forward Cedi Osman said. “Him going into the stands trying to save the ball, it’s amazing. It really shows how tough he is and how much he wants to win. It was a little bit of a dangerous position, but we’re just lucky he is good.”

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Osman said the Cavs held their breath during the sequence. Mitchell winced when he crash-landed and appeared to be in discomfort as he walked away from the scene. Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff used a timeout with his top player attempting to scramble back to the court.