Dennis Schröder won Game 5 for the Cleveland Cavaliers with a masterclass performance off the bench, and it turns out Donovan Mitchell (along with Evan Mobley) contributed to Schröder's big night in a way you'd never expect.
When Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson asked Mitchell and Mobley to sub into the game midway through the fourth quarter, the two stars pushed back on Atkinson, advising him to let the Schröder-let unit cook. “I was going to put Donovan and Evan back in, and they said, ‘No, this group’s rolling,'" Atkinson revealed postgame. "That never happens in the NBA.”
Donovan Mitchell told Kenny Atkinson to not put him in the game for Dennis Schröder
It's unheard of for an NBA superstar like Mitchell to do something like this, but it paid off. The situation began with 6:21 left to go in the game, when Raptors guard Jamal Shead hit a 3 to make it a 113-111 contest (Cleveland leading). Atkinson called a timeout and subbed in Jarrett Allen for Mobley. The Cavs were now without Mobley and Mitchell on the court in what was going to be a crucial stretch.
That's when Schroder came up huge. On the first possession out of the timeout, Dennis hit a 16-foot pullup; on the next possession, a three-pointer. Max Strus and Allen added to these buckets to propel a 9-0 run for the Cavs.
The score was now 122-111. The Schroder-Strus-Allen lineup -- alongside James Harden and Sam Merrill -- had just given Cleveland its largest lead of Game 5. This is likely when Mitchell and Mobley sent their message to Atkinson.
Schroder wasn't done, either. He hit a driving floater with 3:43 left to keep Cleveland's lead at 11. With that lead down to eight with 2:47 remaining, Atkinson finally caved and subbed Mitchell and Mobley back in, with Allen and Merrill exiting. The Cavs were able to hold Toronto to just four points from then on, securing a pivotal Game 5 victory.
The Cavaliers are lucky to have the highly-experienced Dennis Schröder
Schroder ended up with 19 points in 21 minutes off the bench. The savvy German vet with loads of NBA playoff and international experience was 7-of-11 from the field, 3-of-6 from 3, and didn't commit a single turnover.
During the postgame presser, Schröder was made aware by reporters about what Mitchell had done in the fourth quarter. Schröder could only smile. "I didn't know that," he said. "I appreciate that from Don. That means a lot. He's a superstar. Not a lot of superstars (would do) that who I've been around."
Another video surfaced on X from inside the Cavs' locker room directly following the win. It showed Atkinson praising Schröder in front of the entire team.
"Dennis Schröder, man. Come on. This is what the playoffs are about, right?" Atkinson said. "Game 3, we sit you. ... We also saw you go to work. You got in the gym. It’s about the work. It’s about not putting your head down. ... I saw it every day, and that’s why you had a great game because you didn’t get down on yourself.”
The Cavaliers sure are glad they acquired Schröder at the trade deadline. He's been a massive difference-maker and may have just saved them from a first-round disaster.
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