Donovan Mitchell and James Harden couldn't show up when the lights were brightest. And that knowledge is going to haunt the Cleveland Cavaliers even as they advance to the second round.
Game 7, when heroes are born. When stars burn brightest. When the best players are refined by fire and the worst burn away like chaff. For Cleveland, that meant Harden and Mitchell were revealed to be 82-game players.
Harden and Mitchell were bad
Everyone expected James Harden to come out and lay an egg. To his credit, he did draw a number of fouls, shooting 13 free throws for the game. In every other sense, however, he was the same Harden who has shriveled up in high-pressure playoff games. 3-for-9 from the field, just three assists, matador defense.
Donovan Mitchell has some of the most legendary scoring performances in modern NBA history. He also falls apart each and every postseason, and his reputation is quickly tarnishing because of it. In Game 7, he mustered 22 points but needed 20 shots to get there, with only a single assist. He could not drive positive offense for the Cavaliers.
Looking at those two paragraphs, it would seem that the Cavaliers lost Game 7 to the Toronto Raptors. How could they win with their top two players struggling so much? Add in that Evan Mobley had only 13 points, four turnovers and was a -4 on the night, and the Cavs surely lost?
Cleveland bludgeoned their way to a 114-102 Game 7 victory not because of their stars, but because of their role players stepping up to the moment, and because Jarrett Allen put on his sunglasses and dominated the Toronto Raptors in every way imaginable.
Allen and the bench carried the Cavaliers
Allen, much maligned for not showing up in high-pressure situations, was absolutely unstoppable in Game 7. The Raptors had no answers for him inside, and he racked up 19 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass, to keep the offense going when Mitchell and Harden sputtered. By the end of the game, he totaled 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including a tomahawk slam in transition as Cleveland broke the game open in the third quarter with a classic Cavalanche.
The bench was huge for Cleveland as well. Max Strus played 31 minutes off the bench and had 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block, finishing +20 in the 12-point win. Sam Merrill continued his series-long quiet excellence, hitting three triples and finishing +16. Jaylon Tyson had his big moment, hitting a huge 3-pointer, diming up teammates and finishing +19.
Now the Cavaliers move on to face the Detroit Pistons, another big, physical team. And unfortunately, head coach Kenny Atkinson and Cleveland fans far and wide have to assume that Mitchell and Harden won't show up against this team, either.
Cleveland has to win without Mitchell and Harden
The two All-Star guards will likely have a big game or two early in the series, because that is when they tend to be at their best. But both already look rundown by the physicality of the Raptors, and there is only more waiting in the form of Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart and the Pistons.
The Pistons proved vulnerable against the 8-seed Orlando Magic, but can the Cavaliers take advantage of it? It puts a massive damper on Cleveland's Game 7 victory. They advanced, yes, but by the skin of their teeth. They needed their fourth-best player to turn into The Hulk, and they leaned on their bench. The so-called superstars couldn't answer the call.
If Harden and Mitchell fall flat again in round two, the Cavaliers will lose the series. Allen can't carry the offense. Evan Mobley has been up and down. Role players eventually revert back to being role players.
Cleveland needs Harden and Mitchell to play like studs. Most likely, they will play like duds. And that makes the celebration feel hollow.
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