Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the ropes as the New York Knicks scored a decisive Game 3 victory Saturday night. Down 0-3, the Cavs are on the verge of getting knocked out of the playoffs as they failed to rise to the occasion when the series shifted to Cleveland.
To add insult to injury, Knicks fans staged an invasion of sorts when they made their presence felt in Rocket Arena this weekend. When asked to comment on Knicks supporters, Mitchell admitted that he wasn’t the least bit surprised.
“I’m from New York. This doesn’t shock me. They do it in every arena. It’s like Cowboys fans…It’s how Knicks fans are. I was one back in the day.”
In front of Knicks and Cavs fans alike, Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points but struggled to shoot efficiently in Game 3. The seven-time All-Star shot 9-for-21 from the field, making just three of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc.
On the other side, the Knicks backcourt made easy work of the Cavs’ defense, with Jalen Brunson putting up 30 points on 52.6% FG shooting and Mikal Bridges dropping 22 points on a 73.3% clip.
When Mitchell and his crew pull up to Rocket Arena for Game 4 on Monday, they’ll have to withstand the presence of Knicks fans as they look to stave off elimination.
“Donovan Mitchell Has Lost a Lot of Trust”: Analyst Gives Brutal Assessment of Cavs Star Following Game 3 Loss
On social media, Donovan Mitchell also got skewered by critics following the Game 3 loss. According to senior analyst Damien Peters, the optics aren’t looking good for the Cavs star at the moment.
“I think that Donovan Mitchell has lost a lot of trust with the general NBA public this postseason on what type of player he is. For years he was seen as a playoff riser who just needed the right compliment of stars around him. Now, I’m seeing people struggle to make the case he’s even a top-10 player.”
In Game 4, Mitchell will have to turn in no less than an explosive performance to deliver a strong response to the critics.
