{"id":336636,"date":"2026-05-18T12:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=336636"},"modified":"2026-05-18T12:00:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:30:19","slug":"cavs-donovan-mitchell-through-to-conference-finals-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/cavs-donovan-mitchell-through-to-conference-finals-for-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell through to conference finals for first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts after his team defeated the Detroit Pistons 125-94 in Game Seven of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 17, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. Gregory Shamus\/Getty Images\/AFP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Donovan Mitchell goes home after Round 2 of the playoffs again.<\/p>\n

This time, it\u2019s a superb thing.<\/p>\n

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Mitchell\u2019s breakthrough moment has arrived. He\u2019s going to the conference finals for the primary time in his profession. And that series will begin at Madison Square Garden, a bonus for the native Latest Yorker.<\/p>\n

READ: NBA scores today: Cavaliers vs Pistons \u2013 Game 7<\/h4>\n
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Nothing higher than celebrating together with your fianc\u00e9e after the Game 7 win \ud83e\udd79\ud83d\udcaf@TheRealCocoJ<\/a> x @spidadmitchell<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4Ua1ndIKII<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In his ninth season, Mitchell has reached the NBA\u2019s final 4. He and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled past the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday night in Game 7 \u2014 on the road, no less \u2014 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Their reward is a visit to Latest York for Game 1 of the East finals against the Knicks on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and my fiancee joked that we were going home regardless, so we’d as well play some basketball while we\u2019re on the crib,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be special, needless to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mitchell had 26 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in Sunday\u2019s romp. And when his night was over with 4:01 remaining, he had handshakes and hugs for anyone wearing Cleveland colours. He leaned right down to wrap his arms around a seated Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson, who said before the sport that he wanted Mitchell to be himself in Game 7.<\/p>\n

The result?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was higher than Donovan Mitchell,\u201d Atkinson said. \u201cIs that possible? \u2026 It began with him, his defense, rebounding, after which when he gets within the paint and starts making other people higher, you recognize, the dishes, dish-offs to our big guys, that was the important thing, I felt like, to the sport. He had complete control of the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

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READ: NBA Playoffs: Cavaliers crush Pistons in Game 7, advance vs Knicks<\/h4>\n

Mitchell was delivered to Cleveland in September 2022 in a trade with Utah, with the Cavaliers betting \u2014 appropriately, it turned out \u2014 that he could be the last piece of their post-LeBron James rebuild and help them return to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

They got to the primary round in 2023, then lost within the second round in 2024 and 2025. This 12 months, the conference finals await after the third-biggest road win a team has ever had in a Game 7.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll follow him into war,\u201d Cavs forward Jarrett Allen said.<\/p>\n

Mitchell has been an All-Star in each of the last seven seasons, was one in all eight players to receive a minimum of one vote on this 12 months\u2019s MVP balloting and can likely be an All-NBA pick for the third time.<\/p>\n

But there was a void \u2014 the deep playoff run.<\/p>\n

Not anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t be happier for him, to make that next step,\u201d Atkinson said. \u201cHe\u2019s going home to Latest York. He kept this thing together this 12 months when things weren\u2019t going great. He was the beacon, the sunshine \u2026 he carried us on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added the Cavs\u2019 Sam Merrill, who grew up in Utah and was a Jazz fan when Mitchell was there: \u201cYou\u2019re not going to search out a man more completely satisfied for him than I’m. But I do know he wants more. All of us want more.\u201d<\/p>\n

There have been so many near-misses for Mitchell along the best way. Mitchell\u2019s Utah team wasted a 3-1 lead within the 2020 playoff bubble against Denver within the West semifinals, falling in seven games. A 12 months later, the Jazz were up 2-0 in Round 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers, who ended up winning in six. He got hurt in Round 2 against Boston as that series fell apart for Cleveland in 2024, and last 12 months the Cavaliers went 0-3 at home within the second round against Indiana on the approach to a five-game ouster.<\/p>\n

He was a part of a No. 1 seed in 2021, a part of a No. 1 seed again last 12 months, and never got out of Round 2.<\/p>\n

Until now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will\u2019t really have a look at it and say, \u2018All right, we did it, we got to the conference finals,\u2019\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cHey, man, that\u2019s not the end-all. We\u2019ve still got more to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n