Cleveland Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff made sure to choose his words carefully when talking about how guard Donovan Mitchell has been officiated recently, Right Down Euclid Editor in Chief Evan Dammarell wrote in a Wednesday tweet.
“There’s no way Donovan Mitchell only takes two free throws,” JB Bickerstaff said.
Mitchell took a total of two free throws in a 100-97 loss to the Miami Heat in the American Airlines Center on Tuesday. Mitchell has taken a total of 13 free throws in six games played since he attempted and made 11 in a 2-point loss to the Utah Jazz on Jan. 10, according to Basketball Reference.
Donovan Mitchell spoke about two late-game fouls that should been called late in a game against the New York Knicks. He was proven right in the NBA’s Two Minute report that was released on Jan. 24, one that showed he was fouled on two shot attempts in the game’s final minute, according to Cleveland.com Cavs reporter Chris Fedor.
That included the potential game-tying drive on Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, who contested Mitchell at the basket after the Cavs guard pulled back and tried to dive past forward Julius Randle with less than 10 seconds remaining.
Donovan Mitchell still took it upon himself to shoulder the blame for a heartbreaking last-second miss.
“I can cry about the foul calls all I want,” Mitchell said during a postgame press conference. “I’ve just got to be more poised for our group. One turnover on a layup, even though I feel like I should have gotten fouled. Pull it out, run a play, get something.
“The same one where I airballed the layup, that’s on me. I let the team down at the end of the game. We played a really good game up to that point, all of us. I didn’t do my job. That’s on me.”