Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell: ‘We just didn’t make shots’

The Cavaliers have been here before. That’s probably why Donovan Mitchell doesn’t sound especially rattled.

Yes, the Cavaliers trail the Knicks 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals after dropping the first two games at Madison Square Garden. But they also faced the same deficit in the previous round against the Pistons before rallying to win the series in seven games.

So as the scene shifts back to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4, Mitchell insists panic is not part of the conversation.

“We just didn’t make shots,” Mitchell told reporters after Thursday’s loss. “I love everything about the looks that we got. Some days, you just miss the open ones.”

Honestly, he’s not wrong.

The Cavs didn’t give a horrific performance in Game 2. They took care of the ball, competed defensively and actually did a decent job limiting Jalen Brunson as a scorer. The bigger issue was that too many possessions offensively turned into standing around and hoping Mitchell would save the day.

And there’s still the lingering question of why Evan Mobley completely disappeared offensively after halftime. A player with his size and versatility simply has to be more involved.

Even so, Mitchell remains confident the Cavs can flip the series once they get home.

“They protected home court,” he said of the Knicks. “We’ve seen this before, so we gotta get Game 3. … This isn’t our first time facing adversity.”

Now comes the important part for Cleveland. Believing is one thing. Actually making shots is another.

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