{"id":1111,"date":"2026-05-22T04:35:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T04:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1111"},"modified":"2026-05-22T04:35:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T04:35:33","slug":"cavaliers-are-in-trouble-in-the-east-finals-especially-if-donovan-mitchell-is-not-fully-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1111","title":{"rendered":"Cavaliers are in trouble in the East finals, especially if Donovan Mitchell is not fully healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Cleveland Cavaliers\u2019 Donovan Mitchell reacts during the second half of Game 2 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the New York Knicks, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Frank Franklin II)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 Donovan Mitchell insists he is feeling good. Actually even better than that.<\/p>

Read more Pressure from Silicon Valley helped block Trump\u2019s expected order on AI<\/a><\/p>\n

He had better be, or the Cleveland Cavaliers are in trouble.<\/p>\n

Questions about Mitchell\u2019s health persisted after he and his teammates lost Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals to the New York Knicks<\/a> on Thursday night. They\u2019re down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, and Mitchell twice this week has been asked if he\u2019s playing through any sort of injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m great,\u201d he said. \u201cGreat. Great.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the same word Cleveland\u2019s leading scorer used after Game 1, when he scuffled down the stretch as part of a collapse from a 22-point lead<\/a> to a crushing loss. In Game 2, Mitchell at least showed some signs of progress.<\/p>\n

At halftime, coach Kenny Atkinson agreed with the idea that Mitchell was lacking the usual burst on his lift. After scoring just seven points in the first half, Mitchell had 19 in the second to finish with 26.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter halftime, I thought he was moving well.,\u201d Atkinson said. \u201cDonovan, he\u2019s not complaining about it to me. I did see him trying to work through it \u2014 probably some stiffness. But I asked him if he wanted to come out in the fourth quarter and he\u2019s like, \u2018I\u2019m fine,\u2019 so I think he\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deficit is not fine and dandy for the Cavaliers, though it is one they are accustomed to overcoming. They trailed Detroit by this same margin last round before winning the series<\/a> in seven games.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t our first time at it,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t our first time facing adversity. We\u2019ve been through two Game 7s, so being down 2-0 is not the biggest challenge.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Reaction to the death of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch<\/a><\/p>\n

There are plenty of big challenges in the East finals, including how to slow down New York\u2019s one-two punch of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart and not let either take over. Then add in self-inflicted issues, like Cleveland getting to the free-throw line 32 times but missing 10 of those attempts in a game that got closer at times than the final 109-93 score indicates.<\/p>\n

The Cavs made just 37% of their shots from the floor, too, and were 9 of 35 from 3-point range. That\u2019s not exactly a winning recipe in the playoffs or any time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a great shooting night,\u201d Atkinson said. \u201cAt the end of the day, you\u2019ve got to put the ball in the hole. Tonight, we didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Game 3 on Saturday night will be Cleveland\u2019s seventh over a 13-day period, facing an opponent that swept through last round and has what Atkinson calls a \u201cmassive rest advantage.\u201d Center Jarrett Allen acknowledged fatigue may be playing a role but didn\u2019t want to use it as an excuse for falling behind in the series.<\/p>\n

Mitchell is having none of that talk whatsoever.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not tired,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cWe\u2019re not tired. We\u2019re ready to go for Game 3.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Alexi Lalas says US players citing World Cup pressure are a \u2018bunch of whiners\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/nba<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Questions persist about whether Cleveland Cavaliers leading scorer Donovan Mitchell playing through injury after he and his teammates lost Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals to the New York Knicks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nCavaliers are in trouble in the East finals, especially if Donovan Mitchell is not fully healthy - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1111\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cavaliers are in trouble in the East finals, especially if Donovan Mitchell is not fully healthy - 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