'It's Over With': Knicks Ditch Mitchell's Homecoming in Upset Victory
Sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone ... if it was even there in the first place.
The New York Knicks offered Donovan Mitchell a taste of what he's missing at Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening, silencing his Cleveland Cavaliers in a 92-81 final. That dominant defensive effort, which saw the Knicks allow a season-low in points, spoiled Mitchell's first visit to MSG as a Clevelander after five seasons with the Utah Jazz.
"I’m just happy we came away with a win the way we did," Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson said of a sloppy victory where the teams united for 37 turnovers. "It was a grind offensively. But the fact that our defense was able to keep us in it is a good sign.”
In their loss, Cleveland shot 35 percent from the field, with Mitchell going 8-for-22 despite tying with Brunson for a game-high 23 points.
The Knicks and rebuilding Jazz reportedly engaged in heated trade discussions throughout the summer for Mitchell's services, but it was the surging Cavs that won out when all was said and done, leading the Knicks to indulge in consolation prizes, such as a nine-figure extension for RJ Barrett.
Granted, Sunday's victory probably doesn't have Mitchell longing for blue-and-orange, especially when it comes to conquering his personal demon of the NBA postseason's second round. With the win, the Knicks (11-13) ended a five-game losing streak at MSG and earned their first win over an opponent with a winning record since Nov. 16. While New York clings to the last Play-In Tournament spot in the premature Eastern playoff picture, the Cavis (15-9) to set to linger among the conference's elite, currently sitting in third behind Boston and Milwaukee.
For one night, however, Mitchell was home ... at least in a traditional sense.
Connecting Mitchell to the Knicks gained further steam in the imaginations of basketball fans because of his Empire State connections: Mitchell was born in Westchester County and his father continues to hold a front office position with another blue-and-orange New York team, MLB's Mets.
Though basketball bliss between Mitchell and the Knicks was not to be, the round-robin nature of the NBA schedule made a visit to MSG inevitable. It was from Mitchell's first descent upon Manhattan, even discounting his previous visits as a member of the Jazz.
“I grew up coming here. I grew up hearing (the) organ that plays defense," Mitchell recalled. "I grew up watching Amar’e Stoudemire ... Carmelo (Anthony), JR (Smith), even Kristaps (Porzingis), which is weird to say."
Even though Mitchell was "pissed" about Sunday's loss, there appeared to be a sense of relief to get his anticipated MSG homecoming out of the way. He was nonetheless appreciative to play in front of a classic MSG crowd, one that frequently roared upon Cleveland's continued frustration on the offensive end. The Cavaliers whittled a deficit that reached as high as 18 down to three but never managed to slip by the Knicks on the scoreboard.
"What’s done is done, and I’m happy as (heck) to be where I’m at,” he said. “At the end of the day, this decision was made and I don’t think I’ve been happier since I’ve been in the league.
"But I think for me it’s always going to be motivation to come back and play well in my hometown, but you could say that about anybody. But with what happened this summer, it’s over with, it happened and I’m happy to be with the Cavaliers.”
A sense of vindication likely hovered over certain Knicks after the win, namely players like Quentin Grimes, who was said to be the centerpiece of a potential trade that would've sent Mitchell home. While Grimes acknowledged his alleged role in the summer's hypotheticals, he sounded more pleased with the way the Knicks were able to respond to the latter portion of a weekend back-to-back that began with a brutal loss at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
“It’s kind of just what everybody knows, just everything that was going on with the chatter over the summer. Adding how we lost the last game, this was kind of a must-win for us for sure today,” Grimes declared. "I think people are lying if they say they’re not coming in with an edge and a chip on their shoulder.”
Mitchell will make one more visit to MSG this season, as the Cavaliers return to Manhattan on Jan. 24.
In the meantime, the Knicks will look to start a winning streak when they face the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at home (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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