Mitchell’s Leadership Tested Again as Cavaliers Return Home Trailing 0-2
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NEW YORK — The Cleveland Cavaliers will open Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night searching for a lifeline after two straight losses to the New York Knicks. The predicament is hardly new: each earlier round of the 2026 postseason has forced Cleveland to climb out of deep holes, and each time the team has followed the example set by star guard Donovan Mitchell.
Another slow start
Cleveland squandered a 22-point cushion in the series opener at Madison Square Garden, then never threatened in Game 2, a 109-93 defeat that dropped the Cavaliers to 0-2. Mitchell, who scored 18 points on 7-for-20 shooting in Thursday’s loss, struck a familiar note afterward. “We make some shots and we’re right there,” he said, adding that the priority now is to “protect home court.”
Game 7 heroics against Detroit
The Cavaliers’ faith in Mitchell was forged six days earlier inside Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena. With the second-round matchup against the top-seeded Pistons tied 3-3, the 29-year-old delivered 26 points, eight assists and 10-for-22 shooting to close out Game 7. After the buzzer, head coach Kenny Atkinson halted the post-game celebration and pointed across the room. “We turn to you,” he told Mitchell, commending both his play and his steadiness during a turbulent season.
Early-season turbulence
Expectations were sky-high in October after offseason projections labeled Cleveland an Eastern Conference favorite. By Christmas, injuries and uneven chemistry had dragged the club to a 17-15 record. A Dec. 25 collapse at Madison Square Garden underscored the frustration: the Cavaliers led 96-84 entering the fourth quarter but surrendered 42 fourth-period points and lost 126-122 despite Mitchell’s 34-point effort.
Inside the visitors’ locker room that night, teammates described Mitchell sitting alone before calling everyone together. “We’ve got to be better,” he said, then assured them, “We’re fine.” The message continued two days later in Houston, where a 117-100 defeat dropped Cleveland to 17-16. Mitchell convened a team film session the next morning, urging a reset built on energy and accountability.
The response came on Dec. 29 in San Antonio. Mitchell scored just 10 points but handed out seven assists and finished plus-15 in a 113-101 victory that launched a 35-16 surge to the No. 4 seed. “He was the engine,” forward Dean Wade said. “We go as he goes.”
Postseason pattern
Cleveland’s roller-coaster regular season has continued every round. The Cavaliers let a potential first-round clincher slip away in Toronto before eliminating the Raptors in seven games. Against Detroit they fell behind 0-2, seized a 3-2 edge, then missed another close-out chance in Game 6 before Mitchell’s Game 7 rescue.
Just two NBA teams — the 2021 Clippers and 2021 Bucks — have overcome multiple 0-2 deficits in a single postseason. Cleveland now aims to join that list. Center Jarrett Allen embraced the challenge. “I’ll follow him into war,” Allen said of Mitchell. “Every shot he takes, every word he says — we trust it.”
Atkinson points to the groundwork laid during the regular season. “This is why we do the extra sprints,” he reminded players this week. Mitchell echoed that view: “If you don’t have a foundation, you waver. We’re not going to waver.”
The Cavaliers will need that resolve immediately. Game 3 tips off Saturday in Cleveland, where the franchise has not reached the NBA Finals since 2018. For now, their hopes rest once more on the guard who has guided them through every twist of an unpredictable year.
Source: ESPN
