Donovan Mitchell has done nothing but transform the Cleveland Cavaliers ever since the team brought him in via trade back in 2022. But this year is different; Mitchell and the Cavs won 64 regular-season games and have emerged as a legitimate championship contender in the process. And on Wednesday night, the Cavs continued to take care of business, taking a 121-112 win over the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their first-round series to take a 2-0 lead.
As is the case when the Cavs win, Mitchell played a starring role; he put up a team-high 30 points on 10-21 shooting from the field while adding six rebounds and six assists. Spida did the bulk of his damage from beyond the arc; he went 7-10 from deep, leading the way in a Cavalanche of a second quarter when they set the record for most threes in a single quarter in a playoff game with 11.
In so doing, Mitchell recorded a playoff stat line that no other Cavs player in history has. According to Cavs Notes on X (formerly Twitter), Mitchell became just the first player in franchise history to tally at least 30 points, six rebounds, six assists, and seven triples in a playoff game — recording a feat that not even the likes of LeBron James or Kyrie Irving accomplished.
James, in particular, has had plenty of incredible playoff games for the Cavs over the years. Alas, he only has one career playoff game (April 30, 2006 against the Washington Wizards) with the Cavs with seven or more made triples, and during that game, he only recorded five assists, falling one short of the cutoff.
Mitchell had a penchant for playing hero ball in the playoffs in the past, but he seems to have found the right balance for the Cavs this season under the tutelage of new head coach Kenny Atkinson.
Cavs go bonkers from deep
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The Cavs have built an unstoppable offense with Kenny Atkinson reworking the team, and they have been hitting paydirt as a result of their newfound emphasis of the three-point shot. They ranked second in the league this past season in both three-point makes and three-point percentage, and on Wednesday night, the Heat were on the receiving end of a three-point barrage.
On the night, the Cavs made 22 of their 45 three-point attempts. And most importantly, they were able to keep their composure towards the end of the game as they held off a hard charge from the Heat that made them sweat in the final minutes of the ballgame.
