Donovan Mitchell admits that he will always regret losing Game 1 to the Knicks in the ECF
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Donovan Mitchell admits that he will always regret losing Game 1 to the Knicks in the ECF originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
NBA fans are well aware of the New York Knicks and their magical run in the 2026 Playoffs. After a close call in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks, they just flipped a switch and did not lose a game until the NBA Finals. It was a fantastic run that involved two sweeps.
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One of those sweeps was against Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers. That is not for a lack of trying either, because the Cavs had a huge 22-point lead in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but they squandered it, leading to the Knicks taking all the momentum in the series en route to a sweep.
Donovan Mitchell will always regret losing Game 1 of the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals
Mitchell has been in the league for almost a decade now, and he has experienced all types of success and failures. Amid all those experiences, it seems this Game 1 against the Knicks will be the result that sticks with him for a long time.
If they had won that game, the Cavaliers would have had control of the series against the surging Knicks. It would have put a halt to the Knicks' momentum that has been building up since the first-round series against Atlanta. Unfortunately for Mitchell and the Cavs, they blew a massive lead in the fourth quarter.
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Considering the Cavaliers played two full seven-game series in the first two rounds, it felt like they were spent after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. That loss set the tone for the series, and it led to the sweep they suffered against the Knicks.
"Just and who knows, you know, who knows at that point. That puts the pressure. We played so well in game seven. We were riding, and we carried it completely over to Game 1," Mitchell said while being a guest on Cousins with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady.
Moving forward, Mitchell will use that loss as motivation to do better in the future. The Cavs are being overlooked as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference because all eyes are on the Philadelphia 76ers, the Miami Heat, and the Knicks. If they can surprise people, it will be in the 2026-27 season with Mitchell as the star player.
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