{"id":1885191,"date":"2026-04-16T09:45:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T06:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1885191"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:45:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T06:45:53","slug":"why-donovan-mitchell-believes-these-playoffs-are-his-best-shot-to-win-a-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1885191","title":{"rendered":"Why Donovan Mitchell believes these playoffs are his \u2018best shot\u2019 to win a title"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p>SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 The video is there when Donovan Mitchell needs it, deep inside the Instagram account he\u2019s poring through as he sits on a folding chair outside of the Chase Center visitors\u2019 locker room.<\/p>\n<p>The 29-year-old Cleveland Cavaliers star swipes past dozens of highlight reels of his best moments during this 30-second search \u2014 all of them capable of helping him forget what unfolded on the evening of April 24, 2019 \u2014 in pursuit of the painful clip that has inspired him ever since. This was the night James Harden\u2019s Houston Rockets knocked Mitchell\u2019s Utah Jazz out of the playoffs for the second consecutive time, back-to-back bouncings that shaped him in ways he has kept quiet for all these years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>He was four of 22 when it mattered most, including 0 for 9 on 3s, with 5 turnovers to boot as the Rockets \u2014 with Harden leading the way \u2014 won 100-93. And this was the news conference where Mitchell, a rising star in his second season at the time, had to face the media music after a Game 5 performance that was so bad, he still can\u2019t remember the gory details.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tell (Harden and then-Rockets point guard Chris Paul) all the time how that second year when we played them, and that series, changed my entire career,\u201d Mitchell told <em>The Athletic<\/em> in a recent sitdown interview. \u201cI have that video saved on my phone. I think I shot 8 of 26, or maybe 5 of 26, in the closeout game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/YecGtk5G958\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">He finally finds the file<\/a>\u00a0and hits play on the message that continues to be his mantra to this day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t succeed without failure,\u201d Mitchell told reporters that night. \u201cYou don\u2019t succeed without having times like this. So to have that so vividly in my head in a moment like this, you know, I can tell you that I\u2019m upset and what all. But you know \u2014 I\u2019m gonna be better. Simply put, I wasn\u2019t tonight, and I\u2019ll be better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Little did Mitchell know he\u2019d be trying to right that wrong, and take his legacy to the next level in the process, with Harden by his side.<\/p>\n<div data-ath-video-stream=\"MgfKgrIGXrUmS8h\" data-horizontal=\"9\" data-vertical=\"16\" data-restricted-countries=\"BI,BY,CD,CF,CU,IQ,IR,KP,LB,LY,ML,NI,RU,SD,SO,SS,SY,UA,VE,YE,ZW\" data-restricted-countries-mode=\"block\" data-thumbnail-url style=\"padding:0\">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:764px\"><\/div>\n<p>      <span data-type=\"application\/dash+xml\" data-source=\"https:\/\/video.nyt.com\/athletic\/streams\/MgfKgrIGXrUmS8h\/aIjVtv5X7BrK\/aIjVtv5X7BrK.mpd\"><\/span><br \/>\n      <span data-type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" data-source=\"https:\/\/video.nyt.com\/athletic\/streams\/MgfKgrIGXrUmS8h\/aIjVtv5X7BrK\/aIjVtv5X7BrK.m3u8\"><\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<p>When the Cavs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7018896\/2026\/02\/03\/james-harden-trade-clippers-cavs-darius-garland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">made that stunning decision<\/a> to bring in the 36-year-old Harden in early February, sending Darius Garland to the Clippers in a win-now move that was driven by the desire to keep Mitchell in town, they paired two all-time great players who have one undesirable thing in common. Despite both stars having made the playoffs in each of their professional seasons \u2014 eight for Mitchell and 16 for Harden \u2014 neither has won a title. Yet with the Cavs set to tip off against Toronto in their first-round matchup on Saturday, Mitchell and Harden have gelled in the kind of way that has them hoping, at long last, that this might be their year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Since Harden first debuted with Cleveland on Feb. 7, the Cavs \u2014 who started the season just 22-19 amid a flurry of injuries to core players \u2014 have gone 21-9 with a net rating that is 11th in the NBA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/advanced?DateFrom=02\/07\/2026&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=NET_RATING\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">during that span<\/a>. Beyond the numbers, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson is quick to tell anyone who listens that this team is built better for the playoffs with Harden in tow. Mitchell, whose Cavs had the East\u2019s best record last season only to fall to Indiana in the second round, sees it the same way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to say it\u2019s (Harden\u2019s) last shot, or my last shot, either,\u201d said Mitchell, who is eligible for a four-year, $277 million extension this summer or a five-year, $358.6 million extension in the summer of 2027. \u201cBut it\u2019s our best shot. There\u2019s a reason why he chose here. And for me, you know that you have a guy here who has done it at a very, very, very high level for a long time. I\u2019ve seen it, firsthand. \u2026When you\u2019re both missing something like that, and that really impacts both of your legacies in a way, you do whatever it f\u2014ing takes to win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The following interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>So James Harden and I were just talking about how he got here, and how there was certainly a business component where the Clippers came his way with that partial guaranteed contract last summer and it was enough to eventually lead to his exit. <em>(Harden <\/em><em>signed a two-year, $81.5 million deal, but only $13.3 million was guaranteed for next season<\/em>). But tell me on your side, how did this come to pass? When did the idea of James being the guy with you in the backcourt first cross your desk?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You may not believe me when I say this, but I try not to get involved (in roster moves) as much as I can. But there\u2019s a point where it\u2019s like, \u2018Okay (it\u2019s getting real).\u2019 So I wanna say, twwooo weeks? Maybe a little bit more. My timing could be off, but it\u2019s like, \u2018Alright there\u2019s a conversation (between the two teams), so is that something that you (want)?\u2019 And I\u2019m like, \u2018Hell yeah.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who\u2019s asking you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My agent, Austin Brown (of CAA). So it\u2019s like \u2018What does that look like?\u2019 But how it was presented to me, it was so over here, so it\u2019s one of those things where you hear about it, but then you kind of put it (to the side) because we\u2019re going through our stretch where we\u2019re playing well, finally. So to me, it wasn\u2019t really in the front of my brain. We\u2019re finally turning this s\u2013t around. And then, honestly, right before we started going on that trip, and we get Dennis (Schr\u00f6der) and Keon (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7012933\/2026\/01\/31\/cavaliers-kings-trade-keon-ellis-dennis-schroder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ellis in a trade with Sacramento on Jan. 31)<\/a>, right around that time is when it was like\u2026<\/p>\n<p><em>He snaps his fingers.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It was like that. And I\u2019m really more of the (type where) I don\u2019t want to hear nothing until it\u2019s real. I don\u2019t want to f\u2014ing hear it unless it\u2019s there. And that\u2019s when it kind of picked up really, really, really fast.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7041017\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7041017 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/02\/12033815\/GettyImages-2260610586-scaled.jpg\" alt width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Donovan Mitchell and James Harden have never missed the playoffs in their combined 24 season. But neither of them have won a title. (Photo by Nick Cammett\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>What was the relationship and the history between you and James? \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I mean, that was my summers, where we would tour with Adidas together <em>(both players have been with the sneaker company for the entirety of their respective careers)<\/em>. We went to China and Spain together, and then I was in Houston working out with him and (Paul), which is funny because we ended up playing them in the playoffs twice (<em>laughs<\/em>). Outside of my teammates, him and CP were guys I looked up to as far as being able to get better, right? Obviously, you play them in the playoffs, and there\u2019s respect there. But I tell them all the time how that second year when we played them, and that series, changed my entire career.<\/p>\n<p><em>After Mitchell plays the video of his postgame news conference from that series, he continues to explain the profound impact the 2019 matchup had on him.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I talked about that stuff a lot with (Harden) during that time. But now, to be here with him, I never would have thought. But we always had that respect and relationship. So we were always close, always cool.<\/p>\n<p><strong>There\u2019s a narrative out there that I wonder if you\u2019re willing to address directly, that \u2014 with the extension coming up and people wondering if you want to stay here \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7020852\/2026\/02\/04\/james-harden-darius-garland-cavaliers-trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">you applied pressure<\/a> and had something to do with this going down. Is that a fair characterization?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve said this many times, Sam, and I don\u2019t know why people don\u2019t believe me. But I really like it here. There\u2019s also a business component (that) people just don\u2019t understand. Like, I did an interview with (<em>The Athletic<\/em>\u2019s) Joe (Vardon) the other day, and that s\u2013t I was talking about with the food was real.<\/p>\n<p><em>Earlier this month, Vardon detailed how the Cavaliers\u2019 culture <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7164019\/2026\/04\/02\/cleveland-cavaliers-food-meals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">played a pivotal part in Mitchell\u2019s decision<\/a> to sign a three-year, $150 million extension in the summer of 2024. More specifically, the organization\u2019s dedication to providing high-end meals to players, staff and family members at the team hotel on road trips is a rare perk of playing in Cleveland.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>My thing is, this s\u2013t is real. I don\u2019t know why \u2014 I mean, I know why \u2014 but people can\u2019t fathom the fact that I\u2019m really enjoying it here. And when I\u2019m talking about Cleveland, I\u2019m talking about the organization. I felt like, okay, yes, there was a business (discussion about the Harden trade), like \u2018Yes, let\u2019s do this.\u2019 But I never went to them and was like, \u2018Yo, let\u2019s do this.\u2019 And that\u2019s why I appreciated it, because this was on them.<\/p>\n<p><em>When the trade talks first began, the Cavs were still hovering around .500. The 26-year-old Garland, who was plagued throughout last season\u2019s playoffs by a Grade 1 left big toe sprain that required offseason surgery, had missed 16 of Cleveland\u2019s first 24 games while still dealing with the injury. The Cavs \u2014 who also dealt with injuries to Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill \u2014 found themselves in seventh place in the East in mid-January.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Then right about the time Garland was looking like his All-Star self again, he suffered a Grade 1 sprain to his right toe in a game against Philadelphia on Jan. 14 that put him on the shelf again. By the time he returned on March 2, he was in a Clippers jersey.<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"inline-graphic\">\n<p>        a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n  display: flex;<br \/>\n  gap: 20px;<br \/>\n  flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n  align-items: center;<br \/>\n  padding: 20px 0px;<br \/>\n  border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  text-decoration: none;<br \/>\n  color: #121212;<br \/>\n  cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-franklin;<br \/>\n    font-size: 14px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 700;<br \/>\n    line-height: 13.8px;<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 1.1px;<br \/>\n    text-transform: uppercase;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-image {<br \/>\n    border-radius: 8px;<br \/>\n    object-fit: cover;<br \/>\n    width: 200px;<br \/>\n    height: 150px;<br \/>\n    margin: 0px;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      width: 120px;<br \/>\n      height: 120px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-inner-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: row;<br \/>\n    gap: 16px;<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-text-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n    gap: 20px;<br \/>\n    justify-content: center;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      gap: 8px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-title {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-cheltenham;<br \/>\n    font-size: 24px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 500;<br \/>\n    line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 0.01px;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 3;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-imperial;<br \/>\n    font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 400;<br \/>\n    line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/<br \/>\n    color: #323232;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 4;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 12px;<br \/>\n      line-height: 121%;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>.showcase-link-inputs {<br \/>\n  .showcase-link-input {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n    font-size: 1rem;<br \/>\n    background-color: white;<br \/>\n    margin-bottom: 12px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-indent {<br \/>\n    margin-left: 25px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  option {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {<br \/>\n  .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n    background-color: #121212;<br \/>\n    color: #f0f0ee;<br \/>\n    .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n      color: #c4c4c0;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>            \/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click<br \/>\n            document.querySelectorAll(&#8216;.showcase-link-image&#8217;).forEach((img) =&gt; img.removeAttribute(&#8216;onclick&#8217;));<\/p>\n<p>        <a id=\"showcase-link-7156847\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7156847\/2026\/03\/30\/darius-garland-clippers-cavaliers-career-dave-chappelle\/\" class=\"showcase-link-container in-content-module-link testbed-shortcode\" data-shortcode-id=\"101\" data-shortcode-string=\"showcase-link\" data-content-id=\"7156847\" data-content-post-type=\"article\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link\">Read Our Exclusive Details<\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-inner-content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/03\/29211119\/GettyImages-2267953168.jpg?width=400&amp;quality=70\" alt=\"Darius Garland knew his Cavaliers days were numbered. Now, he\u2019s embracing L.A.\" class=\"showcase-link-image\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-text-content\">\n<div class=\"showcase-link-title\">\n                  Darius Garland knew his Cavaliers days were numbered. Now, he\u2019s embracing L.A.\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-excerpt\">\n                  In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Garland opened up on his journey to the Clippers and how Dave Chappelle shaped his future.\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>How were you feeling about the group at that time of the talks? \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was tough. It was tough. It\u2019s a tough balance. You\u2019re in that in-between, right? Guys are out. So what do you put it on? Guys are in. Guys are out. We\u2019re starting two way (players). And that\u2019s no disrespect to them. We\u2019ve competed our f\u2014ing asses off. But it\u2019s kind of like \u2018How can you judge it?\u2019 For me, I didn\u2019t even have to go and say anything. It was brought to me. The narrative (about him pressing), I wasn\u2019t even gonna fight it because it was just like \u2018Alright, here we go again.\u2019 I\u2019ve been through this many times with the narratives. So I was just like, \u2018Hey, I don\u2019t want anyone to know (about the talks) until it\u2019s real, you know what I mean?\u2019 And then it was real.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid4\" data-position=\"mid4\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>When did you and James first talk or text or connect about the possibility?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The night before it came out, I think. It was just like, \u2018Hey, this is really real.\u2019 And it was probably a two minute conversation (on the phone). I was like, \u2018All right, cool. I\u2019m here. Let\u2019s figure this out.\u2019 And (the other thing) was that (Garland\u2019s agent, Klutch Sports CEO) Rich (Paul) and them were (in support of the move) too, so it wasn\u2019t hard. So once I found that out, I\u2019m like, \u2018Alright, cool.\u2019 Now it\u2019s really real. That was kind of my biggest thing. And when we got there, and then the night it came out, (Mitchell and Harden) talked on the phone like, \u2018Alright, see you in (Sacramento), and let\u2019s get to it.\u2019 There wasn\u2019t much for us to say. We know what it is. We\u2019re both chasing the same thing. We\u2019re both hungry. We both know what can happen. The basketball stuff, like we were just f\u2014ing hooping off vibes. We know that\u2019s gonna come. Now it\u2019s just a matter of if this is really gonna go down.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You just alluded to it, but what is it like to be with another guy who has incredible accomplishments but who, like you, is still chasing the same thing when it comes to that ring.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t want to say it\u2019s his last shot, or my last shot, either. But it\u2019s our best shot. There\u2019s a reason why he chose here. He sees it. We know what we\u2019ve gotta do. Now, how do we do it? Him and I are gonna be fine. We\u2019re gonna stagger our minutes. We\u2019re gonna do all that, and then in crunch time we all know. (But) how are we going to get (Merrill involved)? How we gonna get J.A. (Jarrett Allen), Evan (Mobley), Max (Strus), Keon, Dennis, everybody, around to gel and fit, you know what I mean? And the best part about (Harden) was that when you have a guy come in, and he\u2019s like \u2018Don, this is your team, bro.\u2019 Then you go do your thing. You feel comfortable to be like, \u2018Alright, bet.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><em>As Mitchell pointed out, the Cavs\u2019 win over the Warriors on this night (118-111) was as good a sign as any that the dynamics between this duo are in a healthy place. With the Warriors loading up on Mitchell down the stretch, Harden was perfect in the final minute. He split a double team to find Strus with a slick pass to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=680&amp;GameID=0022501117&amp;Season=2025-26&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Strus%2029%27%203PT%20Jump%20Shot%20(24%20PTS)%20(Harden%205%20AST)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">the right wing for a three<\/a>, then beat single coverage <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=683&amp;GameID=0022501117&amp;Season=2025-26&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Harden%2011%27%20Driving%20Floating%20Jump%20Shot%20(17%20PTS)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">for a floater<\/a> that put the Cavs up six. With 10 seconds left, he hit two free throws for good measure to put the game away.<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"inline-graphic\">\n<p>        a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n  display: flex;<br \/>\n  gap: 20px;<br \/>\n  flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n  align-items: center;<br \/>\n  padding: 20px 0px;<br \/>\n  border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  text-decoration: none;<br \/>\n  color: #121212;<br \/>\n  cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-franklin;<br \/>\n    font-size: 14px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 700;<br \/>\n    line-height: 13.8px;<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 1.1px;<br \/>\n    text-transform: uppercase;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-image {<br \/>\n    border-radius: 8px;<br \/>\n    object-fit: cover;<br \/>\n    width: 200px;<br \/>\n    height: 150px;<br \/>\n    margin: 0px;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      width: 120px;<br \/>\n      height: 120px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-inner-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: row;<br \/>\n    gap: 16px;<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-text-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n    gap: 20px;<br \/>\n    justify-content: center;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      gap: 8px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-title {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-cheltenham;<br \/>\n    font-size: 24px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 500;<br \/>\n    line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 0.01px;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 3;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-imperial;<br \/>\n    font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 400;<br \/>\n    line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/<br \/>\n    color: #323232;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 4;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 12px;<br \/>\n      line-height: 121%;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>.showcase-link-inputs {<br \/>\n  .showcase-link-input {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n    font-size: 1rem;<br \/>\n    background-color: white;<br \/>\n    margin-bottom: 12px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-indent {<br \/>\n    margin-left: 25px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  option {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {<br \/>\n  .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n    background-color: #121212;<br \/>\n    color: #f0f0ee;<br \/>\n    .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n      color: #c4c4c0;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>            \/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click<br \/>\n            document.querySelectorAll(&#8216;.showcase-link-image&#8217;).forEach((img) =&gt; img.removeAttribute(&#8216;onclick&#8217;));<\/p>\n<p>        <a id=\"showcase-link-7192190\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7192190\/2026\/04\/13\/nba-playoffs-2026-cavaliers-raptors-preview\/\" class=\"showcase-link-container in-content-module-link testbed-shortcode\" data-shortcode-id=\"101\" data-shortcode-string=\"showcase-link\" data-content-id=\"7192190\" data-content-post-type=\"article\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link\">What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-inner-content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/04\/13003529\/GettyImages-2247778043-1024x683.jpg?width=400&amp;quality=70\" alt=\"Cavaliers vs. Raptors NBA playoffs preview: Who stops Donovan Mitchell, James Harden?\" class=\"showcase-link-image\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-text-content\">\n<div class=\"showcase-link-title\">\n                  Cavaliers vs. Raptors NBA playoffs preview: Who stops Donovan Mitchell, James Harden?\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-excerpt\">\n                  The Cavaliers have the star power, and their explosiveness will test the Raptors\u2019 defensive identity.\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s like tonight \u2014 I didn\u2019t shoot the ball in the last three-and-a-half minutes of the game because they denied me. That\u2019s cool, because we have a guy who is just so smart and who is making everybody better. And now you see Evan making that play (with 1:56 left, Mobley took a post pass from Harden and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/events?CFID=&amp;CFPARAMS=&amp;GameEventID=672&amp;GameID=0022501117&amp;Season=2025-26&amp;flag=1&amp;title=Strus%2025%27%203PT%20Jump%20Shot%20(21%20PTS)%20(Mobley%205%20AST)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">kicked it out to Strus<\/a> for a 3 that put Cleveland up 5). You\u2019re basically playing four-on-four in all that space because you want to deny me the ball. You have to pick and choose. Even talking about defensive schemes, it\u2019s nice when you have a guy like (Harden) who can communicate and go back and forth, like \u2018Cool, here\u2019s what I see; what do you see?\u2019 And then it\u2019s boom-boom.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not just offense, though. It\u2019s the defense. Like \u2018We didn\u2019t have this here,\u2019 where (someone is saying) \u2018We need to be spaced here. If this guy gets a crack here, I can go here.\u2019 Having those conversations remind me a lot of my time in Utah, where I\u2019m talking to Joe (Ingles), talking to Ricky (Rubio), talking to Mike (Conley), talking to Bojan (Bogdanovi\u0107), talking to Rudy (Gobert), and it was like \u2018Boom, boom, boom.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><em>He snaps his fingers three times.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>When you have Max, when you have Sam \u2014 guys who are really like that too \u2014 it\u2019s like all of us are having that dialogue. Kenny\u2019s great. (And) now we\u2019re all communicating at a higher level.<\/p>\n<p><em>He snaps two more times.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid5\" data-position=\"mid5\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s rubbing off, and I think that\u2019s the void that James and I were both missing, of that championship, right? Obviously, he\u2019s been to the finals (with Oklahoma City in 2012), and I\u2019ve never been. But that\u2019s what you miss. You\u2019re missing that, and you\u2019re hungry. If he wins one, I don\u2019t know (how that affects him). If I have a ring, or he does, do you have the same fire? I don\u2019t know \u2014 maybe. Maybe not. But when you\u2019re both miss something like that, and that really impacts both of your legacies in a way, you do whatever it f\u2014ing takes to win.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0You know I have to ask, but has anything changed about the way you see the extension?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I love Cleveland. I\u2019ve said it before: I want to play here for as long as I can. And the goal is to win \u2014 as long as we\u2019re continuing to win at the highest level. But I love it, man. It\u2019s a place that I feel like I can call home, you know what I mean? And I feel good. My fiance (singer\/songwriter and actress Coco Jones) feels good about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Well \u2026 she needs to come by more often because that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@nba\/video\/7589342564667411742\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">dunk you had in (New York on Christmas Day)<\/a> was something.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>(Laughs). But no, the Cleveland life \u2014 I love it. I\u2019m good. Now, the basketball just has to continue to be right where it\u2019s been. This organization has shown time and time again that they\u2019re willing to do whatever it takes, and that\u2019s what you want.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 The video is there when Donovan Mitchell needs it, deep inside the Instagram account he\u2019s poring through as he sits on a folding chair outside of the Chase Center visitors\u2019 locker room. The 29-year-old Cleveland Cavaliers star swipes past dozens of highlight reels of his best moments during this 30-second search \u2014 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1885191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1885191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885191\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1885191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1885191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1885191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}