INDEPENDENCE — It appeared as if Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell aggravated his left knee bone bruise in Game 3 and the Orlando Magic seized every conceivable ounce of momentum by rolling to consecutive lopsided victories en route to tying the best-of-seven first-round playoff series 2-2.
Mitchell and the Cavs are downplaying all of it, though, as they prepare for Game 5 at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
“We’re very confident,” Mitchell said Monday after the Cavs practiced at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “We had two games that didn’t go our way. At the end of the day, they handled home court. We have things we can improve on, obviously, but it’s our job to do the same.”
As for questions about Mitchell’s health, he repeatedly said, “I’m good.”
Through four games this postseason, Mitchell has done the following:
- Game 1 April 20 in Cleveland — Cavs 97, Magic 83: scored 30 points (11-of-21 shooting from the field)
- Game 2 April 22 in Cleveland — Cavs 96, Magic 86: scored 23 points (9 of 22)
- Game 3 Thursday in Orlando — Magic 121, Cavs 83: scored 13 points (6 of 16)
- Game 4 Saturday in Orlando — Magic 112, Cavs 89: scored 18 points (5 of 14)
In the most recent showdown, Mitchell had all 18 of his points in the first half before going scoreless on merely four shots in the second half.
“I just can’t take four shots in that half,” Mitchell said. “I told you after Game 1, ‘This is who I am.’ Fourteen shots and 16 shots in consecutive games — right, wrong or indifferent — speaks to the level of aggression. And I wasn’t that. So I hold myself accountable for that, and I’ll be better.”
The Cavs need to improve across the board. Mitchell mentioned pushing the pace and getting into the paint to create more open looks, increasing the volume of 3-point attempts and capitalizing on turnovers as keys to turning around a sputtering offense.
“It’s on all of us to figure it out,” he said, “but I have no doubt that we will.”
The emotional aspects of the sport also figure to be vital. The Cavs seemed to be rattled at times the past two games. The Magic aren’t going to stop trying to mess with Cleveland’s collective psyche.
Mitchell emphasized the importance of quickly turning the page, a practice required of life in the NBA, and staying levelheaded amid the heat of competition.
“If you carry something over, it can kill you for a month or a week or whatever,” he said. “In a playoffs series, it could take you all out.”
What is Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s next move in his chess match with the Magic?
Related to Mitchell’s point about pace, coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the Cavs must have a greater sense of urgency earlier in the shot clock to sustain an effective offense. He explained “early actions” would “make it feel as if it’s a chase and not a stationary game.”
All of it would theoretically create more 3-pointers, which Bickerstaff conceded is essential.
As for his team’s emotional state, Bickerstaff said the Cavs can’t afford to dwell on blowout losses in Games 3 and 4.
“You learn from it,” he said. “But you don’t hang on to it because if you take the last game into the next game, too high or too low, it’s going to impact the way that you play.
“That last game doesn’t matter, right? It’s over with. It’s a mindset thing. They’ve got to come here, where we won two games. I don’t think there is a momentum shift.”
Evan Mobley says Cavs must ‘stay together’ during NBA playoffs
Although Bickerstaff has repeatedly said adjustments don’t really matter because basketball comes down to execution, forward Evan Mobley explained the Cavs have been working on some, well, adjustments.
“Not significant, significant, but definitely some changes, some tweaks here and there that we went over today,” Mobley said.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley made two glaring modifications when his team faced a 2-0 series deficit. He replaced Jonathan Isaac with the bigger Wendell Carter Jr. as the starting center, and he assigned Jalen Suggs to primarily guard Mitchell.
Powered by changes and their home crowd, the Magic produced huge runs in the past two games. Bickerstaff said Cavs players sometimes tried to counter in those moments by attempting to do too much individually instead of playing within structure.
Mobley said the coaching point has been emphasized.
“Good players want to try to make good plays, but I feel like the best thing for us is just to stick together and everyone plays as one unit,” Mobley said. “That’s how you win games.”
For the Cavs, supporting each other instead of splintering under pressure is another crucial element.
“Staying together through all the adversity,” Mobley said. “Stay together, stick with it and keep fighting.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.