Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers won the first round against the Miami Heat.
The Heat made the playoffs after beating the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks in last week’s NBA Play-In Tournament.
However, they couldn’t match the Cavaliers as Mitchell (30 points), Tygerome (29 points) and Darius Garland (28 points) rioted at Rocket Arena.
The number one seed team is currently a huge favorite to advance to the semi-finals. There you will face the Milwaukee Bucks or the Indiana Pacers.
Mitchell explained what he had to do to reach the latter round of the playoffs after winning the heat.
Mitchell’s world-class scoring ability was perfectly displayed against the heat. He made 11 of 19 shots from the field and six free throws, scoring 30 points.
Everyone knows what the 28-year-old can do on the offensive side of the ball, but few people understand how effective he is on the defensive side.
In fact, Mitchell proposed at a postgame press conference that his defensive contributions could lift the Cavs into NBA title competition.
“Thirds are cool, but for me I’m happy with my defensive possessions,” explained the shooting guard. “I wish there was a little more rebound.
“(scoring) is something I knew, but for me it can be a lot of stuff like stealing, getting into the passing lane, getting on board, boxing out, getting into a loose ball, and stuff like that.
A 30-point performance against The Heat made Mitchell the second player in NBA history.
Before the game, Michael Jordan was the only man to score over 30 points in his seventh consecutive Game 1. He did it twice in his career.
| player | game | The range of years |
| Donovan Mitchell | 7 | 2020- |
| Michael Jordan | 7 | 1997-98 |
| Michael Jordan | 7 | 1991-93 |
Mitchell joined the Bulls legend on Sunday, April 20th, further cementing his reputation as one of the best scorers in the game.
The 28-year-old is clearly not Jordanian, but he may be enough to lead the Cavs to the championship with similar two-way excellence.