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CLEVELAND — Wake up, Sleepy Floyd, you have company.
It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Donovan Mitchell went nuclear. The Cavaliers finally received that type of a night in the 2026 playoffs, and in doing so evened up the Eastern Conference Semifinals 2-2 with a resounding Game 4 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Mitchell made a little history along the way.
After a dreadful first half in which he missed his first six shots and scored only four points, Mitchell took over the game the moment he stepped onto the floor after halftime, pouring in 39 points in the second half and spurring a wild 22-0 run to open the third quarter — he was responsible 15 of the points during that stretch — that just about tied the series right then and there.
The 39-point half tied an NBA postseason record, set by Eric "Sleepy" Floyd in the 1987 playoffs. The type of scoring explosion Mitchell put on display to ensure the Cavs tied the series 2-2 hadn't been done in nearly 40 years.
"Everything. This is the easy answer," said center Jarrett Allen when asked about what Mitchell meant to the Cavs in Game 4. "He gave us everything on the offensive end and even on the defensive end. … He was giving us every single effort that he had."
But what made Mitchell's night so remarkable wasn't just the historic stretch late in the game. It was the contrast between how out of rhythm he looked in the first half compared to a second half in which he was almost unstoppable.
Game 4 might have included Mitchell's worst playoff half in recent memory followed immediately by his best, with only a 15-minute halftime break separating them.
"The thing I noticed the most was he was definitely not in rhythm, it was a little bit different than I've seen, you know, just not in rhythm," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "The mental fortitude … like to turn, turn that around like he did — it's pretty impressive.
"Not sure in the playoffs have [we] seen a turnaround like that where a guy is struggling and just absolutely turns the switch."
Having not only the mental toughness, but the patience, to work through such a poor half to then be in a position to take over the game in the third and fourth quarters is something Mitchell feels he had to learn throughout his career.
Had this been his rookie season, he said he's not sure the night would have gone so well. It might have spiraled the other direction, in which case the Cavs might be staring at a 3-1 series deficit on Game 5 being in Detroit.
"I can't say I came into the league with that," Mitchell said when asked about staying so even-keeled through slumps. "You develop that over time. You develop that over wins, losses, and you play so many games."
Mitchell also noted that guard James Harden, forward Evan Mobley and others never wavered in their insistence that he keep being himself.
"They're not really tripping on the fact that I started out one-of-whatever," Mitchell said." That's what also helps. You have the mental fortitude yourself, but then you have a group that … supports you verbally. … That speaks to the group."
Even though Mitchell's night was outstanding by every offensive metric, he did only make one of two free throws in the final minute when both would have given him 40 points in the second half, along with the NBA playoff record.
"Everybody let me know that I missed the free throw to break the record, though," Mitchell said, smiling, after hearing about it from teammates. "But again, we're 2-2 headed to Detroit. That was what we came home to do, and that's all that matters."
Ryan Lewis covers the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Donovan Mitchell's historic second half powers Cavs over Pistons
Continue reading...
It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Donovan Mitchell went nuclear. The Cavaliers finally received that type of a night in the 2026 playoffs, and in doing so evened up the Eastern Conference Semifinals 2-2 with a resounding Game 4 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Mitchell made a little history along the way.
After a dreadful first half in which he missed his first six shots and scored only four points, Mitchell took over the game the moment he stepped onto the floor after halftime, pouring in 39 points in the second half and spurring a wild 22-0 run to open the third quarter — he was responsible 15 of the points during that stretch — that just about tied the series right then and there.
The 39-point half tied an NBA postseason record, set by Eric "Sleepy" Floyd in the 1987 playoffs. The type of scoring explosion Mitchell put on display to ensure the Cavs tied the series 2-2 hadn't been done in nearly 40 years.
"Everything. This is the easy answer," said center Jarrett Allen when asked about what Mitchell meant to the Cavs in Game 4. "He gave us everything on the offensive end and even on the defensive end. … He was giving us every single effort that he had."
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Donovan Mitchell playoff stats
But what made Mitchell's night so remarkable wasn't just the historic stretch late in the game. It was the contrast between how out of rhythm he looked in the first half compared to a second half in which he was almost unstoppable.
Game 4 might have included Mitchell's worst playoff half in recent memory followed immediately by his best, with only a 15-minute halftime break separating them.
"The thing I noticed the most was he was definitely not in rhythm, it was a little bit different than I've seen, you know, just not in rhythm," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "The mental fortitude … like to turn, turn that around like he did — it's pretty impressive.
"Not sure in the playoffs have [we] seen a turnaround like that where a guy is struggling and just absolutely turns the switch."
Having not only the mental toughness, but the patience, to work through such a poor half to then be in a position to take over the game in the third and fourth quarters is something Mitchell feels he had to learn throughout his career.
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Had this been his rookie season, he said he's not sure the night would have gone so well. It might have spiraled the other direction, in which case the Cavs might be staring at a 3-1 series deficit on Game 5 being in Detroit.
"I can't say I came into the league with that," Mitchell said when asked about staying so even-keeled through slumps. "You develop that over time. You develop that over wins, losses, and you play so many games."
Mitchell also noted that guard James Harden, forward Evan Mobley and others never wavered in their insistence that he keep being himself.
"They're not really tripping on the fact that I started out one-of-whatever," Mitchell said." That's what also helps. You have the mental fortitude yourself, but then you have a group that … supports you verbally. … That speaks to the group."
Even though Mitchell's night was outstanding by every offensive metric, he did only make one of two free throws in the final minute when both would have given him 40 points in the second half, along with the NBA playoff record.
"Everybody let me know that I missed the free throw to break the record, though," Mitchell said, smiling, after hearing about it from teammates. "But again, we're 2-2 headed to Detroit. That was what we came home to do, and that's all that matters."
Ryan Lewis covers the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Donovan Mitchell's historic second half powers Cavs over Pistons
Continue reading...
