Donovan Mitchell gets brutally honest about the Cavs deserving the criticism for losing originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 Playoffs were a rollercoaster ride for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They were on the brink of losing in the first round already, as they had to go seven games in the series against the Toronto Raptors. The same thing happened in the following round when the Detroit Pistons pushed them to seven games.
Unfortunately, in the Eastern Conference Finals, they came up against the New York Knicks. The eventual champions swept them in the series, which is something that the Cavs have been constantly criticized for. Mitchell himself admits that he and the team deserve the criticism they have received.
Donovan Mitchell knows he and the Cavaliers deserve criticism
Despite the sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavaliers did prove that they were the second-best team in the East in the 2026 Playoffs. Yes, it ended in the worst way possible, but they still reached the Eastern Conference Finals amid all the turmoil they had to go through in the earlier rounds.
The Knicks were just the better team, and the fatigue got to the Cavaliers. Head coach Kenny Atkinson and James Harden believed that they were the better team, but that will not ring true because they could not get a single win. That is why Donovan Mitchell is quite realistic about the defeat and the consequences that come from it.
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Mitchell is well aware that they have been criticized because they blew a 22-point lead in Game 1, and they never looked right after that. As the star player for the Cavaliers franchise, Mitchell has been realistic with his approach to taking criticism because he knows they stem from something that happened.
"We got swept. We deserve the criticism that comes with that. That’s warranted. We went to 2 Game 7s when we should’ve closed both teams out in 6. We didn’t take care of business," Mitchell said on the Cousins podcast with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady.
Ahead of the 2026-27 season, the Cavaliers have made a major move by getting Peyton Watson. If the Cavaliers can follow the Knicks' trajectory over the past few years, they could be the surprise package next season with Mitchell playing as the superstar.
More NBA news:
- Kenny Atkinson credits the Knicks for sweeping the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals
- Kenny Atkinson admits that he is still proud of the Cavaliers after getting swept
- James Harden still believes the Cavaliers were the better team despite losing in a sweep
- Donovan Mitchell demands that James Harden get more respect
- The reason why Kenny Atkinson stayed with the Cavaliers despite rumors of getting fired