Donovan Mitchell took it upon himself to carry the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 112-103 win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 of their semifinal contest, as he woke up from his slumber in the first half to score 39 points in the second half, the most points any player has ever scored in a single half in the history of the NBA playoffs.
Mitchell finished with 43 points on the night, and it was due to his scoring explosion in the third quarter that gave the Cavs a comfortable enough cushion that not even the bench’s struggles late in the fourth quarter couldn’t put Cleveland’s win in jeopardy. And it looks as though it was Mitchell himself who knew that he had to be better after he seemed to be half-asleep in the first half of Game 4.
“I apologized to the group. I didn’t set the tone one time in the first half. I told my guys it’s on me. Now, we gotta go get one on the road,” Mitchell said in his postgame interview with NBC.
Donovan Mitchell on Game 4 win:
“I apologized to the group. I didn’t set the tone one time in the first half. I told my guys it’s on me. Now, we gotta go get one on the road.” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AmyF0Pdmgw
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A true hallmark of a superstar is how receptive they are to being held accountable, and on Monday, this was certainly not a problem for Mitchell. All season long, the Cavs star has shouldered the responsibility to lead his team, and he wasn’t at his best in the first half, so it’s certainly within his character to hold himself to a higher standard after scoring just four points in the first half of Game 4.
While momentum may be in the Cavs’ side after winning two consecutive games at home, Cleveland has found it impossible thus far to win a game on the road in this year’s playoffs. They have gone 0-5 on the road thus far, although they will have to win at least one in this series if they were to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
But with Mitchell leading the way, the Cavs certainly have it in them to break their road duck.