The Cleveland Cavaliers still await their first-round opponent in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They’ll discover who they face by the end of Friday, April 18, when the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat battle for postseason qualification.
The winner earns the right to challenge the Cavaliers. Kenny Atkinson’s squad dominated all season, securing the NBA’s best record and claiming the Eastern Conference’s top seed. However, concerns emerged over the past week regarding Donovan Mitchell‘s availability and fitness.
The All-Star guard sat out Cleveland’s final four regular-season games with an ankle injury. When speaking with Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com on Thursday, April 17, Atkinson delivered a welcome update on Mitchell’s health and availability.
“We did some live stuff today and he was full go,” Atkinson said. “No restrictions. No take him out of practice. None of that…Just for Donovan and really for our whole team, that was the most important thing in terms of getting ready for these playoffs was going into it healthy. Really proud of the plan we had, how we managed guys, how they managed themselves, our performance team, our medical team, it’s such a group effort. There’s a lot of planning that goes into it. Now I feel really relieved. It’s probably more of a relief that we kind of did it. I think the guys are in a good place, ready to go.”
Mitchell’s presence will be a significant boost to the Cavaliers’ chances of progressing beyond the opening round of the postseason.
Cavaliers’ Darius Garland Must Silence Doubters
Despite the Cavaliers’ impressive regular season, questions still linger over Darius Garland. The 25-year-old guard remains Cleveland’s weakest defensive link and has historically disappeared when games turn increasingly physical.
Garland occupies a key role in the Cavaliers’ roster. The concerns about his postseason productivity are indeed fair.
“I think there remain questions about Darius Garland and his readiness for everything that playoff basketball is,” Fedor said via the “Wine and Gold Talk” podcast. “…If we’re being honest, Darius has struggled throughout the course of his career. And at times this year, even this year was an All-Star caliber season for him, but there were times that he struggled with physicality…The Cavs are ready for it. Kenny Atkinson is ready for it. Darius says he’s ready for it. But this is a switch-heavy defense, and teams are going to go pick and roll, and they’re going to put Darius in the action over and over and over again.”
Garland and Mitchell are a fearsome backcourt pairing. However, if Garland is being hunted on every defensive possession, his postseason effectiveness will undoubtedly be brought back into question.
Cavaliers Must Show Belief
During an April 11 interview with Fedor, Atkinson admitted that his team must show some self-belief if they want to compete for a championship.
“As far as talent, chemistry, deep bench, we have it all. It’s really going to be the mental battle,” Atkinson told Fedor. “The question that needs to be answered with this team is if they have a belief level that’s at a championship level…Do you really believe you can be a conference finalist? That’s the first step. Only going to answer that when we are faced with it. That’s probably the lingering question.”
Atkinson was on the coaching staff when the Golden State Warriors won the 2022 NBA championship. He knows what it takes to be successful at the highest level. As such, his team must listen to him when he calls for belief. The Cavaliers have proven themselves as an elite regular-season team. Now they must do the same for the playoffs.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson Delivers Major Update on Donovan Mitchell appeared first on Heavy Sports.