The Cleveland Cavs have had a busy offseason, headlined by their recent acquisition of Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets. The Cavs also secured the long-term commitment of franchise player Donovan Mitchell on a new contract extension this offseason following their appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals this past year.
Mitchell has had some epic moments during his Cavs stint, including a 71-point game in early 2023.
Recently, Mitchell revealed the unlikely thing that helped him accomplish that feat.
“I’ve never drank before a game in my life. It was New Year’s. So I did have a drink, a few drinks the night before the game… so I tell people like that was probably what… allowed me to have the night I had,” he said, per Cousins w/ Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady on X, formerly Twitter.
It’s not exactly a formula that he is likely to repeat, but whatever Mitchell did sure worked on that evening three years ago.
Meanwhile, Mitchell and the Cavs are hoping to create some memorable moments in the playoffs. Although Cleveland did make it to its first conference finals appearance without LeBron James last year, it was hard to feel particularly encouraged after their first two series each went seven games, and they were completely annihilated by the eventual champion New York Knicks when they got there.
However, perhaps the trade for Watson will finally give Cleveland the missing piece at the small forward position they’ve been searching for since James left town.
In any case, the Cavs’ 2026-27 season is slated to get underway on October 22 against James and his new Philadelphia 76ers squad on the road.