For the first time in 31 years, the Cleveland Cavaliers are heading to the second round without LeBron James leading the way. The last such instance came in the 1992-93 season before James marked 9 such runs in his two stretches with the franchise. Even though the current roster came together to win Game 7 against the Orlando Magic, a huge chunk of the success goes to Donovan Mitchell. He erupted for 40 points in the elimination game, and was seen gluing the team together; all while probing them to test their limit.

The Cavs will now face the Boston Celtics, the top-seeded team in the league this season. Already aware of fans’ bets against his team, Donovan Mitchell was seen lifting his team’s spirits in the locker right after the recent win. “This is great,” Spida resonated the team’s Game 7 feat. However, he continued, “But we’re too talented to be satisfied with just this…We ain’t come here to just win in 7, we ain’t come in here for just this one series,” Mitchell exclaimed  bringing the crew together.

While one can find plenty of motivation within the competitive environment of the league, Mitchell’s determination to put the Cavs in a thriving position comes out of practice. In his post-game interview, he radiated that even before winning Game 7, he cut ties with his pals in Boston (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) to put himself in a winning mentality.

Donovan Mitchell will definitely need help against the Celtics

The Boston Celtics are clearly a bigger matchup for the Cleveland Cavaliers, for obvious reasons. However, when looking back at the Celtics’ first round, so is the Cavs. The Miami Heat played without 2 key starters. With that, plenty of fireworks can be expected in the coming showdown.

Donovan Mitchell’s post-season performances have been similar to his season-long outputs. However, he has a history of leveling up his performance in the playoffs. A signifying fact is that he already has 23 games with at least 30 points; one away from Jayson Tatum’s 24. However, the gold star comes from the fact that it took Spida 48 fewer games to do so.

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Nevertheless, the Cavs were second lowest in production amongst all first-round teams – scoring just 1 point per possession. With that, there is a demand for the entire unit to contribute together because Boston’s roster sure will. Moreover, the Celtics have a better overall defense than the Magic and have Jrue Holiday in their backcourt. This can pave a podium for Darius Garland. However, the remaining roster would still need to be aggressive on both ends.

Despite Boston’s 2-1 season series record, they fail to garner a clear advantage. All three season games culminated with a 5-point buffer and sided in the favor of the home team.

Moreover, the Celtics enter the series with a lot to lose, given their top-class season. Cavs, on the other hand, can find silver linings if they give the C’s a run for their money.