The Cleveland Cavaliers got another lackluster effort from Darius Garland in Sunday’s do-or-die Game 7 showdown against the Orlando Magic. The All-Star point guard finished with 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting in one of the most important games of his career as he struggled all night against a demanding Orlando defense.
Thankfully for the Cavs, they have Donovan Mitchell, who once again came up big for Cleveland when they needed him the most.
Cleveland Cavaliers News: Darius Garland Sounds Off on Donovan Mitchell’s Heroics
Following his mind-blowing 50-point performance in Game 6, Mitchell kept it going on Sunday. He went off for another 39 points to lead the Cavs to a series-clinching 106-94 victory against a Magic side that just would not go away.
Garland had nothing but high praise for Mitchell after the latter’s season-saving heroics on Sunday:
“He’s competitive. He’s a real go-getter,” Garland said. “… He’s a winner, that’s all he talks about. He wants us to get over this hump. He going to do anything possible to get us over. Like I said, he’s a winner. That’s what it comes down to. He just wants to win basketball games (and) do anything to do it.”
"He's a winner, that's all he talks about."
Darius Garland sounds off on his teammate Donovan Mitchell after advancing to the East Semis 🗣️#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/6Uce1itZgH
— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2024
It goes without saying that the Cavs would not be where they are right now without Mitchell. There’s no denying that they would not have won on Sunday had it not been for the 27-year-old’s will to win. He’s a pretty good basketball player, too.
As they always say, however, there’s no rest for the wicked. The Cavs have just a couple of days before they set out on the next part of their mission, which is a second-round matchup against the Boston Celtics.
Cleveland will need Mitchell to be at his very best against Jayson Tatum and Co., but it’s also tantamount that Garland and the rest of the supporting cast bring it as well. Mitchell may have been able to carry his team against the Magic, but it’s very unlikely that his one-man heroics are going to be enough against the mighty Celtics.
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