The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. However, its star player, Donovan Mitchell, said that the team believes its path to the NBA finals remains intact.
Despite dealing with a crushing defeat in Game 1 vs. the New York Knicks, the Cleveland team is focused on what needs to be done.
For most of the game, Cleveland was on top of things before dropping to New York in the final quarter. New York erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter. They fell 115-104 in overtime after the Knicks closed the regulation and the extra period with a 44-11 run. It was one of the most dominant runs that shifted the momentum in the series.
Despite being on the losing side, Mitchell still delivered one of the great performances of the game. He scored 29 points and helped his team build a commanding lead at the start of the game. However, their offense was stalled in the late game as the Knicks upped the ante on their defense. They forced several difficult possessions during the comeback.
Even after suffering a loss of this magnitude, the 2025 NBA First Team guard didn’t look flustered during the postgame media availability. NBA official X handle even shared his reaction postgame.
He said, “We could’ve lost by 40. It still would’ve been 1–0. … We played pretty solid for three quarters or so. We’ll make adjustments and go from there.”
The calm demeanor and comments of Mitchell reflected the mindset of the Cleveland Cavaliers right now. So, they looked set for Game 2.
They understand that they were in charge for most of the game before the Knicks recorded a historic rally in the fourth quarter. That rally changed the tone of the series in late regulation. Cleveland also understands that the Eastern Conference finals remain far from over despite losing the first game.
