CLEVELAND — They came out flat. They looked utterly lost. It seemed the impending blowup of this roster and coaching staff were all but inevitable.
But Donovan Mitchell would not be denied, and thanks to yet another Herculean effort from their superstar, the Cavaliers will live to fight another day (or at least four, to be exact).
Led by Mitchell's all-around effort of 39 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, Cleveland finally overcame its playoff demons with a thrilling 106-94 comeback win over the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of the NBA's opening round. It's the Cavs' first postseason series win since 2018, and earns them a date with the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
"We kept doing it together, and we never doubted each other," Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters after the game. "I think there were moments that we saw when we were on the road [in this series] where we allowed things to snowball, and tonight, we weren't about that."
The first half could not have gone any worse for Cleveland, which fell behind by as many as 18 and shot a pathetic 22.6% from the field (including 2 of 11 from 3-point range). Yet in a complete roll-reversal of both this game and this series, the Cavaliers came out firing in the third quarter, out-scoring the Magic 33-15 to take command. Mitchell actually bested Orlando 17-15 by himself in the period, while Max Strus drained a couple of clutch 3s to nearly blow the roof off Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
"I'm tired of losing in the first round," Mitchell said, alluding to his prior 2-4 record in opening series going back to his days with the Utah Jazz. "We work too hard as a group."
What had been a tense crowd suddenly became part of the largest party in Cleveland, and the team seemed to feed of the jubilant energy. Even Darius Garland, who had struggled mightily over the first three quarters, came up with 10 clutch points in the fourth to help the Cavs pull away.
With Garland mired in a slump, Mitchell did his best to provide encouragement.
"I told him, 'I don't give a damn what happened the past quarter and a half ... I don't care,'" Mitchell recalled telling his fellow guard. "'You trust your work, you know what I mean? Trust what you've done trust who you are.'"
For Garland, that encouragement meant everything.
"He knew that I was a little bit down in the first half ... but he kept trusting me," he said. "It's cool just having him in my ear a little bit, just telling me to keep going, stay confident in myself, and that the entire team and the entire organization believes in me."
As time wound down on an incredible series, chants of "M-V-P!" for Mitchell broke out from the fans, along with pleas of "We want Boston!" The home team went on to win every game in this seven-game set, and the home-court advantage proved to be indispensable for the Cavaliers.
"That s--- was crazy," Mitchell said of the raucous atmosphere. "It's just a lot of fun playing playoff basketball. ... They are electric, they're loud."
On the other side, Orlando's shooting woes once again reared their ugly head in the second half, with the team making only 11 of 43 field goal attempts over the final 24 minutes. Franz Wagner was a dreadful 1 of 15, and even Paolo Banchero — who finished with 38 points and 16 rebounds — managed only a 35.7% shooting percentage. The Magic are still seeking their first playoff series win since 2010.
At least some of those struggles could be attributed to Cleveland's elite defense, especially when it came to Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley. With Jarrett Allen missing his third straight game, Mobley stepped up with with 16 boards and five blocks, along with 11 points.
"[It's] a lot of responsibility," Mobley admitted of having to help fill the void left by Allen's absence. "I was just trying to protect the paint as best we can, trying to play his role."
Besides the overall six-year wait for a playoff series win, this also marks the Cavs' first such victory without the legendary LeBron James since 1993, officially ushering in a new era of success in franchise history. However, Mitchell (respectfully) doesn't view it as much of an accomplishment.
"Great win, great series, great test for us mentally, physically, but we can — and we will have to be — better to beat Boston," he said following the game. "We don't really have time to celebrate, to be honest with you."
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semis is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. from Boston's TD Garden. The Cavaliers and Celtics have previously met eight times in the playoffs, splitting those matchups 4-4 with Cleveland taking the last three.