The Cleveland Cavs are currently gearing up for their first-round matchup against the Toronto Raptors, which is slated to get underway on Saturday afternoon. Expectations are high for the Cavs entering this postseason after they shook things up by trading for James Harden at the deadline, sending out point guard Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers in return.
Recently, Cavs star Donovan Mitchell got 100% real on the team’s title shot now that Harden is in the mix.
“I don’t want to say it’s (Harden’s) last shot, or my last shot, either,” said Mitchell, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. “But it’s our best shot. There’s a reason why he chose here. And for me, you know that you have a guy here who has done it at a very, very, very high level for a long time. I’ve seen it, firsthand. …When you’re both missing something like that, and that really impacts both of your legacies in a way, you do whatever it f—ing takes to win.”
Indeed, the Cavs might not get a better chance at a title than the one they currently have, positioning themselves on the more favorable side of the Eastern Conference bracket and finding themselves matched up first with what many view to be the weakest of the East playoff teams in Toronto.
There doesn’t seem to be a true juggernaut in the conference this year, with the Detroit Pistons still lacking both shooting and experience, and the Boston Celtics not yet with Jayson Tatum at full strength (even when he was, Boston lost to the New York Knicks last year). If the Cavs can find a way to get hot at the right time, they could be headed to their first NBA Finals since LeBron James took his talents to the West Coast.