The Cleveland Cavaliers fell short again.
This time, however, may have been worse than in any other year.
The Cavs won 64 regular-season games and had one of the best seasons in franchise history.
They dominated in historic fashion, and they had the greatest campaign of any non-LeBron James era.
Nevertheless, as much as they let the fans down in the second round, Donovan Mitchell isn’t bothered by the criticism.
When asked about the backlash, the former Utah Jazz combo guard claimed that he wasn’t going to stop pushing forward, and he vowed to be back with his teammates next season:
“Everybody’s going to feel free to say what they want to say about us as a group, about me as a player,” Mitchell said. “I’m not going to stop. The day I do is the day I fail myself. Y’all are going to see me here at media day, smiling, being ready, giving you the same spiel about how you’ve got to respond. I’m not going to stop. We’re not going to stop. We’re going to figure it out.”
Of course, it’s not like he was going to say anything different.
Even so, it’s pretty much meaningless at this point.
Mitchell has yet to lead a team past the second round of the playoffs since he entered the league.
For the third consecutive year, Darius Garland was a no-show in the postseason, and especially in an elimination game.
Jarrett Allen was also a non-factor, and only Evan Mobley looked the part.
Mitchell is clearly a very good player and a talented scorer, but his style of play might not translate to playoff success.
More than that, perhaps it’s time to come to terms with the thought that he may be better suited to be a Robin instead of a Batman.
The doubters questioned the Cavs’ toughness, and Mitchell claimed that the team would thrive in adversity.
As it turns out, the doubters were right all along.
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