CLEVELAND,😼 Ohio – The game has been over for a while, and in my mind I can still hear the fans chanting “LET’S GO CAVS.”
Close yo🍃ur eyes: You can still see the fans standing, stomping, waving white towel🐭s.
Use your imagination: You can feel Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse shaꩵke, even though the fans are gone.
Stories by Terry Pluto
Game 7 of the playoffs, and the Cavs are headed to the second round to face Boston.
Gaꦑme 7, the Cavs were bꦏehind by 18 points in the second quarter.
Game 7, weren’t you worried your team 🌺was about to be blown out … at home?
Game 7!!!
“The best two words i♚n sports,” Donovan Mitchell said bܫefore this game.
They sound even better than best, given what happened on this Sunday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cavs rose from the baskeඣtball dead to live for anothꦬer round of the playoffs.
J.B. Bickerstaff pulled his team together after they were down by 18 points in the second quarter. Then they came back to win Game 7 over Orlando. Joshua Gunter, iccwins188.com
THIS IS A BIG DEAL
For the Cavs, this was one of best days in a long ti✱me, at least since 2018. That was the final LeBron James season in Cleveland when 🃏they went to the NBA Finals and lost to the Warriors.
Winning this series was the first time the Cavs have won a round of the playoffs without James since … get this … 1993. That was the Len🌱ny Wilkens, Brad Daugherty, Mark🌼 Price, Larry Nance and Hot Rod Williams Era.
Winning this series was the first time coach J.B. Bickerstaff has preva🐈iled in ꧅the playoffs.
Winning this season broke a⛦ streak of being knocked off in th𝔉e previous three first rounds for Mitchell.
Winnꦬing this series should🐎 remind Cavs fans that their team has done something right in the last few years under the leadership of President Koby Altman.
Winning this series when🧸 it seemed many in Cavs Nation were looking for Bickerstaff’s replacement – even before the series was over.
Winning this series … in Game 7 … at home … when it looked like all🎃 was losᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚt …
“This is why you fight for home-court advantage,” said Bickerstaff. “This is the moment. 🥂This is what competition is all about.”
This is fun.
TRUE BASKETBALL GREATNESS
And Mitchell delivered one of t🍨he best Game 7 performances in Cavs history … in any round. He finished with 39 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Mitchell was on shaky terms with his jumper. He was 2 of 8 on 3-point shots. As he s🥃aid after his 50-point performance in the Game 6 loss at Orlando,𝕴 “I can’t make a 3 (pointer) to save my life right now.”
Instead, Mitchell took the ball to the rim. Over and over and over. ♈Drive. Take the bumps, the shoves andᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ elbows.
Make a layup, get knocked to the floor.
Then get𒈔 up. Go to the foul line. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Give your heart a few seconds ༒to stop pounding in your chest.
Then make the free 🍸throws. Mitchell wa🧜s 15 of 17 at the foul line.
In Game 7, the fa🎃ns chantedꦫ “M-V-P … M-V-P” when Mitchel was at the foul line.
You can say it right now if you’d like … 🍬no question, on this team Mitchell is indeed “M-V-P.”
Mitchell has scor๊ed 89 points in the last two games.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland celebrates with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. Joshua Gunter, iccwins188.com
TRUE LEADERSHIP
But there’s something else that made him “M-V-P”.
It was how ♎he kept talking to Darius Garland during the game. Garland was having a miserable afternoon. His shot was clanking off the rim. He was doing those endless circle dribbling drives to seemingly nowhere. He was abused on defense.
Mitchell kept telling Garland to keep shooting. He hugged him. He whispered to him. More than once, he raised his voice to let Garland know this was not the time to 🅺give up. Finall☂y, Garland hit a couple key shots, scoring seven points in the fourth quarter.
Tha🍃t also was the sameꦫ message he delivered to the rest of the team.
Don’t give up … not now.
And they responded.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero slams into Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro as is called for charge in the second half of play. The Cavs outscored Orlando by 25 points with Okoro on the court. Joshua Gunter, iccwins188.com
A TEAM EFFORT
With star center Jarrett Allen out with bruised ribs, Evan Mobley delivered an Allen-type performanc🍬e with 16 rebounds, 11 points and fiv🎉e blocks.
Caris LeVert has been bothered by a sore knee. He came off the bench and scored 15 points, adding five rebounds and some drive-to-rim ruggedne⛦ss desperately needed.
꧙Max Strus hit a trio of desperately needed 3-point shots. Sam Merrill put eight points next to his name in 11 minutes.
The most underrated player was Isaac Okoro, who played rugged defense on Orlando star Paolo Banchero in the second half. The Cavs outscored Orlando by 25 points with Okoro on th✅e court.
“LET’S GO CAVS!”
That’s right, Cavs fans … your team is headed to Boston for Tuesday’s Game 1 in the next round of the pl𝓰ayoffs.
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