A miracle shot is what it came down to. The Cleveland Cavaliers tussled to force overtime after falling back 15 points. But there wasn’t much the Cavaliers could do when RJ Barrett’s triple nearly hit the roof before being swallowed by the rim. That was their fate tonight. However, something interesting did take place in the background after the Cavs’ overtime loss in Game 6.
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Evan Mobley’s mother, Nicol, reposted a tweet suggesting Donovan Mitchell needs to dial himself down for Cleveland to have some success. The video featured former NBA pro, Channing Frye, suggesting Spida needs to take a “backseat” in this series. That comes after another inefficient night for Mitchell.
The Cavaliers guard added a team-high 24 points, but took 26 shots to get there. This was a fourth straight game where Donovan Mitchell shot under 45%, a stretch in which the Cavaliers have lost three. Nicol Mobley also might have felt it was better to run the offense through her son.
Evan Mobley, in contrast, was uber efficient, with 26 points and 14 rebounds on 60% shooting. He led the Cavaliers’ second-half surge, with 15 points and two threes. Obviously, Nicol Mobley wasn’t trying to create any unrest by suggesting Mitchell isn’t capable of being the cornerstone to a successful franchise.
Evan Mobley’s mom Nicol’s latest RT about Donovan Mitchell 👀👀👀👀
He’s had some forgettable playoff moments, but there’s also the performances that didn’t end up on the right side of history. Donovan Mitchell’s never gotten past the second round in his career. And with a Game 7, the threat for that record to continue looms at large. But should Mitchell take a backseat?
In a simple world, the answer could be yes. The Raptors aren’t exactly a tall team. Jakob Poeltl is the only seven-footer, but he isn’t nearly as mobile as the Cavs’ Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The combination of those two playing together has the ability to create regular mismatches for Cleveland. Furthermore, Evan Mobley’s actually been having one of his better playoff series.
Over the last two games, Mobley has scored 49 points while taking just 28 shots. That’s four more than Mitchell took alone in Game 6. So just based on matchups, with the Raptors being incredible at point-of-attack defending, the Cavaliers might benefit from giving Evan Mobley more involvement on the offensive end.
And maybe that is on the table as they prepare for a Game 7 at home.
Donovan Mitchell gives Evan Mobley his flowers
The energy within the Cleveland Cavaliers wasn’t affected at all after Barrett’s stunning game-winner to force overtime. Notably, as the leader, Donovan Mitchell didn’t feel like he needed to manage emotions in the locker room. Not only do the Cavaliers have veterans with Game 7 experience, but for the most part, Spida wanted to focus on the positives.
“We held them to 12 points, we did a solid job coming back. We did a lot of positive things. A lot of positive things. This man to my right has been phenomenal,” Mitchell said, pointing to Evan Mobley. “That doesn’t go away because the ball went in the hoop. If that ball bounces up, we are having a whole different conversation”.
Because the Cleveland Cavaliers dug themselves out of the sewers before being hit with a miracle shot from RJ Barrett. They allowed just 12 points in the fourth quarter. Even prior to the shot, the Cavs had the lead in overtime. But the kind of shot Barrett made can’t be tactically broken down. It’s as simple as “he made a shot”.
It put the Cleveland Cavaliers’ efforts to vain. However, they still managed to execute. The Cavs showed they can respond to adversity in a tough road environment. Hence, the energy from the players is aligned. “Protect home court,” both Mitchell and Mobley said during their press conference together.
Whether that happens with a change in the pecking order or any other way, the Cavaliers just want to seal this series at home and advance. Barring another shot from the heavens, the team can take a lot of input and positives away from their performance tonight.
