Cavs Loss to Knicks Sets Stage for Likely Playoff Showdown

Donovan Mitchell looks forward to potential meeting with his hometown team

There was a tenseness in the lake Erie air in downtown Cleveland all day on Friday, as fans waited anxiously for the Cavs to tip-off with their likely first-round playoff opponent the New York Knicks.

Those vibes made their way into a jam-packed Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and set the stage for what certainly felt like a playoff atmosphere. In the end, the energy faded to disappointment for Cavaliers fans, who went home with plenty of questions about their beloved wine and gold after they failed to lock up the 4 seed in a 130-116 loss.

"Tip your hat to them," head coach JB Bickerstaff said after the game. "They played at an intensity and an energy level that we didn't match."

Like every good playoff series this matchup comes with a powder keg of drama. It's been and remains the elephant in the room. Donovan Mitchell, could have been playing for the Knicks right now if his hometown team hadn't bowed out on the Mitchell sweepstakes and settled for Jalen Brunson.

Instead, he's in Cleveland – which he made clear, he's perfectly happy with. But as he put together a video game-esche first quarter performance, dropping 23 points on 9-of-10 from the floor, it became pretty clear this one meant a little bit more to him. And if they happen meet again in a couple weeks, it would be pretty poetic.

"I wouldn't want it any other way" Mitchell asserted. "What kid wouldn't want to grow up and play against his hometown team in the playoffs?

"It's a storybook [matchup], it's something that's special and near and dear to me to be able to play a playoff games in front of my friends and family. A team that I grew up watching. Against an assistant coach over there (Johnnie Bryant) who basically taught me everything I know at this point. It's great, and I'm excited for the challenge. Gonna be a lot of fun...if it happens."

Donovan Mitchell knows a potential #Cavs v #Knicks playoff matchup boasts no shortage of drama. pic.twitter.com/7ArteA3AuY

— Cleveland Cavaliers On SI (@CLECavsOnSI) April 1, 2023

If Mitchell's counterpart, Brunson, has anything to say about it, it will happen. Brunson outdid Mitchell, in the absence of Julius Randle, racking up a game-high 48 points on 56-percent shooting – proving on this night anyway – that New York was right to choose him over Mitchell, who finished with 42 points.

 The Brunson-Mitchell highlight reel also produced some history, as Cleveland scored a regular season franchise-record 47 points in the first quarter. That then spiraled into the highest first-half combined total in franchise history of 151 points, when the Knicks lead 79-72 at the break.

Unfortunately, without Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro in the lineup the wine and gold's defense couldn't match their offense. As they finished with a defensive rating of 138 for the game, their third-worst mark of the season.

"He's shifty, he can get to his spots," Mitchell said of the Knicks point guard. "The biggest thing is, he [nearly] had 50 but he had nine assists. 50 is great, but being able to get everyone else involved, [which means he's] accountable for at minimum 18 other points. We can fix that."

So all this begs the question; how much can actually be taken away from a regular season game, dressed up in all the trimmings of a playoff game? Particularly one where both teams were shorthanded.

"You hope and I know these guys and I trust these guys, that they'll be better for it," Bickerstaff said. It frustrates you, it bothers you cause you know what's at stake, but guys have to go through things. Let's learn the lesson and go get better."

Those are sentiments Mitchell echoed.

"I think you learn a lot more in a situation like this, I think we grow from this – even though the playoffs are right around the corner," he explained.

"We'll probably see these guys in two weeks. This will be a good film session for us. Get in there, watch it, figure it out, get better at it. We can't sit here and say 'they beat us by 14 in game 78, we've got a whole new series coming up, gotta be ready."

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