Donovan Mitchell isn't here for a regular season victory.
Friday night's showdown with the Boston Celtics obviously mattered to him. Spida was brilliant through the final three quarters of the game, scoring at least 10 points in each quarter and ending the game with 41 points, including 10 of the team's 16-made free-throws. With Darius Garland cold and Jarrett Allen played off the floor, Mitchell needed to put on his cape and ascend to another level.
That's what was required against the defending champs, especially after Boston came out and delivered a haymaker, leaping out to a 25-3 lead to start the game. Mitchell lead the Cavs back not once but twice, first closing the gap at halftime before the Celtics broke it back open and built a new 17-point lead in the third. The second comeback did the trick, and the Cavaliers ended up notching an impressive 123-116 comeback win.
As is the pattern for a national television game, Mitchell was placed front and center immediately after the final horn sounded and asked to speak about the game. He spoke highly of the quality of their opponent, and of the fight his team showed, but he clearly had one thing he wanted to get across.
This game didn't mean anything to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are focused on a title
That's obviously overstating it; the fight the Cavaliers showed, the physicality and the intensity and the focus to get back into the game and pull out the road win showed they cared. It showed that they wanted this. Mitchell himself could barely see because of the sweat pouring down his face; he needed someone to bring him a towel. He obviously gave his all to win that game.
Yet his words were not focused on celebrating the victory. They were pointed to the future. "We haven't done anything yet," he told ESPN postgame.
Mitchell's point is that the Cavaliers are no longer satisfied with regular season victories. They are a necessary part of the championship journey, securing the top seed and forging in fire the chemistry and muscle memory and lineups that will be needed to win it all.
Yet for this team, the goal is now firmly planted on the Larry O'Brien trophy. The Cleveland Cavaliers want a championship. They want a trophy. They want to prove themselves a legitimate team and bring a second title to The Land. They want their place in history.
For all that facing the Boston Celtics will be a part of writing that history, as the two teams seem on an inevitable collision course in the Eastern Conference Finals, one regular season win doesn't make a dent in history. Winning a title does. Reaching the NBA Finals does. The Cavaliers are no longer satisfied with regular season wins.
There are still doubts about whether this group will be as dominant in the postseason. They haven't proven anything yet, as Mitchell understands. The Celtics have. Beating them now matters, but it's not the end goal. There will be time to celebrate later.
Mitchell and the Cavaliers know that the only way to prove themselves is to back up this level of play in the playoffs. Everything before that is simply a small step toward a greater prize.