CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell pushed myself He was at his physical limits, putting everything he had on the floor as he tried to shut out the precocious Orlando Magic.
cleveland star I ran out. He gets shot one more time.
one more. Game 7.
“Those are the best two words in sports,” Mitchell said late Friday night.
Unable to find a way to win on the road, the Cavs and Magic will settle the series Sunday in a winner-take-all finale with both teams exposing their strengths and weaknesses publicly over six games.
Only one team will advance to face the Eastern Conference beast, the Boston Celtics, and whichever team emerges from this Cavs-Magic stalemate will be well-rested.
Little has ever happened to Mitchell, who scored 50 points, including Cleveland's final 22 points and all 18 of the fourth quarter, in a masterful performance in Friday night's 103-96 Game 6 loss. In a sense, it was an extended opening act. .
“Everything you've done in six games has really gone to waste. It's all a matter of desperation and will,” he said. “How do we find a way to keep being relentless? There's no question that we're going to show up. There's no question that Cleveland is going to show up.”
It would help if a few more of Mitchell's teammates showed up.
In Game 6, trying to push the Cavaliers to the goal line and win their first playoff series without LeBron James since 1993, he was virtually alone for long stretches of time.
Mitchell was having trouble with his left knee, which worsened throughout the second half, but he barely slowed down. But while he did his part and backcourt mate Darius Garland added 21 points, the rest of Cleveland's lineup, without center Jarrett Allen with a rib injury, went 10-of-33 shooting. He only contributed 25 points.
Cavs forward Evan Mobley, who blocked Franz Wagner in the final seconds to give Cleveland a one-point victory in Game 5, had just three points on five shots and suffered an ankle injury in the first half. After twisting it, I struggled.
Mobley was visibly limping after the game.
The Magic exploited weaknesses in the Cavaliers' front line and dominated inside, outscoring Cleveland 66-38 in the paint and winning the rebound battle 48-38. Orlando was as aggressive as ever, holding a lead at the free throw line with 26 attempts to Cleveland's 10, but that gap will likely close on the road.
And while much of this is new for the Magic, who won just 22 games the year before and 34 last year, there's a quiet confidence in a young team forced to grow quickly.
Orlando hasn't been overwhelmed in this arena so far, and coach Jamal Mosley believes his team is ready to face the ultimate win-or-no-win situation.
“They remember why they came here,” Mosley said. “Obviously, they understand the magnitude of it. But we've been the same team all year long, the way we've played, the things we've called on them and asked of them. We play with a sense of urgency every night. and play hard every night and the others who play for each defend at a high clip every night.
“That doesn’t change no matter what game we play.”
That certainly seems to be the case for Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who scored 39 points. In the fifth gameHe scored 27 points in Game 6 and is averaging 25.2 points in his first playoff series.
The 21-year-old seems unfazed by the spotlight. The spotlight is about to be brighter and warmer than what he and his teammates have experienced thus far.
Banchero is confident the Magic won't shrink.
“A few years ago and last year nobody really believed in us. But we believed in each other. It was just that we knew what we were capable of as a group. ” he said. “The fact that we're doing it is great.”
cavaliers magic
The series is 3 wins and 3 losses. Game 7, 1pm ET, ABC
— What you need to know: This No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed matchup was as close as advertised, with both teams up 3-0 at home. The last series in which the home team won every game was Boston's win over Milwaukee in the first round in 2018. … The Cavs last played Game 7 at home, defeating Indiana. … Extending into the regular season, Orlando lost seven straight road games.
— Watch: Cleveland's bench. The Cavaliers' support staff wasn't as helpful as they should have been, averaging just 18 points through six games. Coach JB Bickerstaff is looking for more from his subs, especially Caris LeVert, who is averaging 6.2 points per series, eight points below his season average.
— Injury alert: Allen missed Games 5 and 6 with a rib injury, leaving the Cavs without a player in midfield. Allen is Cleveland's most essential piece, and without him the Cavaliers will be without a key rim protector to keep the Magic's big men at bay.
— The pressure is on: The stakes couldn't be higher for the Cavs, who spent all season looking to redeem themselves from a first-round loss to the Knicks a year ago. Sunday's loss could lead to big changes and possibly impact whether Mitchell signs an extension with Cleveland this summer.
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