Cavs keep playing with fire, and even Donovan Mitchell knows it

October 25, 2026

The Cavaliers escaped with a win Saturday night. They also escaped with a few more lessons about finishing games, something coach Kenny Atkinson would probably prefer they learn without all the drama.

After blowing a 29-point lead in Thursday’s season-opening loss to the 76ers, the Cavs nearly surrendered a 22-point advantage against the Nets before holding on for a 125-121 victory at Rocket Arena.

Atkinson was encouraged by most of what he saw. Just not necessarily the ending.

“Ninety percent of the game I thought we played really well,” Atkinson told reporters. “Shared the ball. Played great basketball. These are the best teaching moments. Execution to close out games. Situational basketball. All that. It’s great. We got a ton from the Philly game and will have a ton from tonight too.”

He’s right about the first 90 percent. The Cavs moved the ball, got balanced scoring and generally looked like the Eastern Conference contender they’re supposed to be.

Then came the fourth quarter, when Brooklyn buried nine 3-pointers and forced eight Cleveland turnovers. Suddenly, another comfortable lead wasn’t so comfortable.

Still, Atkinson liked his team’s composure.

“No one is yelling at each other, screaming at each other. Maybe I’m the only one sometimes, once in a while,” Atkinson said. “We’re a calm group. We have overall really good emotional control as a group and keep pretty steady. I think that’s important because a game like this could slip away. Lost games like this. It happens. Glad we pulled it out.”

Donovan Mitchell offered a similar perspective, though he also acknowledged something worth remembering about Saturday’s opponent.

“It builds character of a group,” Mitchell said. “You find out what you’re made of. But also, no disrespect to Brooklyn, it’s not Philly. You know what I mean? Understanding that like there’s certain things that we were able to get away with because they’re young, they’re figuring themselves out too.”

That’s a fair point. The Nets are rebuilding. The Cavs have considerably bigger expectations, and they’ll face opponents far less forgiving of fourth-quarter mistakes.

Mitchell believes these early experiences can help.

“Understanding it’s a mental battle, like just continuing to push through that mental,” he said. “I always tell y’all, it’s not going to always be perfect. But I think for us, having these first two games and different ways, similar, but different ways, I think is definitely going to help us in the long run.”

Maybe so. There are 80 games left, and nobody should be panicking after two.

But the Cavs probably have enough character already. A few comfortable finishes wouldn’t hurt.