Taking a closer look at how Mitchell has taken his game to another level against the Pacers.
INDIANAPOLIS — There’s only two players who’ve ever worn a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform that could deliver back-to-back 40-point playoff performances with their team’s season on the line: LeBron James and Donovan Mitchell.
This has been a LeBron-esque series for Mitchell in the way he’s been able to get to the basket at will. The Indiana Pacers don’t have a way to stop him from repeatedly getting two feet in the paint. Their only hope is to somehow outscore him.
“I thought he was masterful,” Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said after Mitchell dropped his second-straight game of over 40 points. “I don’t use that word hardly ever. He was masterful in the way he controlled the game. … It was probably to me, the best performance of the year.”
Mitchell is averaging 41.3 points per game so far in the second round. He’s doing this with a 51.5 effective field-goal percentage which is only that low because of his inability to get anything to fall from three. He’s 7-31 (22.6%) from beyond the arc so far this series.
James wasn’t immune to series like this as well. Just think of the second-round matchup against the Chicago Bulls from the 2014-15 season. LeBron couldn’t get anything to fall from three (10.7% for the series), but was the best player on the floor due to his ability to get into the paint while carrying an injured Cavs team through to the next round.
Mitchell is trying to copy that game plan over a decade later.
He’s attempting 13.3 shots within five feet of the basket this series and converting 60% of them despite Indiana’s whole defense being predicated on closing off the paint.
Just look at how many defenders Mitchell has been finishing over, around, and through to get these baskets.
Mitchell is averaging 13.3 points off drives so far in the playoffs. That’s the third-highest mark in the postseason behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Cade Cunningham. Both are forwards with considerably more size. That isn’t a category for 6’2” shooting guards to dominate.
In the second round, he’s averaging an almost unbelievable 22.7 points per game on drives while having a 68.4% field goal percentage on them. That is absurd for someone of his size who has been playing through a calf strain.
Mitchell has always had the floater in his arsenal, but he’s continued to become more comfortable going to it when teams wall off the paint as aggressively as Indiana has.
It’s incredibly difficult to guard both the rim and the in-between push shot.
Ironically, Mitchell is dominating this series despite not being able to take the shot that Indiana is giving him. They’re a team that likes to go under screens, which means the pull-up three is there for the taking if only he could hit it.
Mitchell is putting together one of the best series we’ve seen from an individual player in Cavaliers history. And it could be even better if he were hitting the outside shot to the level he normally is.
The banged-up Cavs will continue to need to keep getting heroic performances like this from Mitchell if they’re going to climb out of their 2-1 hole against the Pacers. Fortunately, they have the best player in the series on their side. And it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon.