Donovan Mitchell has led the way for the Cavs during the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
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Celtics at Cavs, Game 3 | 8:30 ET, ABC | Tied, 1-1
Donovan Mitchell’s team had fallen behind, 1-0, to a higher-seeded power – a team featuring one of the NBA’s premier duos.
In Game 2, he took over, going for 23 of his 29 points in the 2nd half to tie the series and steal home-court advantage.
The Year was 2018. He was a 21-year-old rookie. And over the next four games, as his fifth-seeded Jazz beat Russ & PG’s OKC Thunder, he took his first steps toward building a reputation as one of his generation’s greatest playoff scorers.
All Time, Too: Mitchell ranks 6th in Playoffs ppg (28.0) in NBA history for players who’ve played a minimum of 50 games.
- Ahead Of Him: Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Kevin Durant, Jerry West and LeBron James
- Just Behind: Nikola Jokic, Elgin Baylor, George Gervin and Steph Curry
On Thursday, when his team needed him to lead, he came through yet again – dropping 16 of his 29 points in the 3rd quarter and hitting three straight buckets to start the 4th to send the Cavs to a 1-1 series tie with Boston.
This Year: Mitchell ranks third in playoff scoring among players still active, and sixth overall, at 29.2 per game. And as the Cavs have seen up and down contributions from the lineup (54.7 FG% in Game 2, 41.1% in Game 1), the 5-time All-Star has led the way.
- More Than A Scorer: Spida’s contributions go beyond buckets, too – he’s sixth in PIE among active players in this year’s postseason, and 10th overall (min. 30 mpg)
- Mr. Reliable: He’s also second in usage rate among actives, and third overall, getting the Cavs to their first Conf Semis win (and appearance) since 2018
- Spida & Bron: Mitchell’s just the second Cav ever with 25+ pts in 6 straight playoff games after LeBron most recently did it 9 times in 2018
- Clutch Gene: Among still-active players who’ve played at least 8 mpg in the 4th Q, he ranks 4th in PIE in the final quarter – and sixth overall
- 🗣 Said Mitchell About Game 2: “At halftime, I was just like, ’I don’t plan on coming out.’ That was the mindset. [Coach Bickerstaff] asked me if I needed (a break) and I was like, ‘I’m good.’”
Work Cut Out: Mitchell & the Cavs’ task now? Give the Celtics something that’s happened just four times this season: back-to-back losses. See who goes up 2-1 on ABC at 8:30 ET.
