When the Cleveland Cavaliers need a bucket in crunch time, there’s usually no debate about who should have the ball-Donovan Mitchell. He’s built a reputation as one of the league’s most reliable closers, a guy who thrives under pressure and has delivered on big stages time and time again. So when the Cavs found themselves trailing the Boston Celtics in the final seconds, it felt like a foregone conclusion: Mitchell would take the shot.
Except this time, he didn’t.
Instead of setting up for a game-winner, Mitchell was the one inbounding the ball. The final possession unraveled quickly, and the Cavs walked off the floor with a tough loss-one that extended their skid to three straight and dropped them to seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.
After the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson addressed the decision that had fans and analysts alike scratching their heads. “We were trying to take it out with our best passer in that situation,” Atkinson explained.
The play was drawn up to free Darius Garland off a down screen for a look. If that option wasn’t there, Evan Mobley was the secondary target.
But Boston threw a wrench into the plan by shifting into a zone defense, disrupting the timing and spacing. Mitchell inbounded to Mobley, but the clock ran out before Mobley could get a clean shot off.
It was a breakdown in execution, sure-but also a moment that raised fair questions about late-game decision-making. When you’ve got a proven shot-maker like Mitchell, it’s tough to justify a final possession where he doesn’t even get a chance to create.
To be fair, the Cavs are dealing with injuries, and their rotation hasn’t been at full strength. That’s part of the story behind their uneven start to the season.
After coming out of the gates hot last year, this campaign has felt more like an uphill climb. But even with the roster shuffling, there’s a sense that this team should be closing out some of these winnable games.
And that’s where Mitchell’s role becomes even more critical. Everyone in the arena knows he’s the guy-and that includes opposing defenses.
That kind of attention can make it harder to get him clean looks, especially in late-game sets. It’s possible Atkinson was trying to outmaneuver that by using Mitchell as a decoy, hoping to free up Garland or Mobley for an open shot.
But in the NBA, especially when the game’s on the line, sometimes it’s not about tricking the defense-it’s about trusting your star to make a play, even when the whole building knows it’s coming.
The Cavs still have time to right the ship. It’s early, and the East is wide open behind the top contenders. But if Cleveland wants to re-establish itself as a serious threat, they’ll need to lean into what they do best-and that starts with putting the ball in Donovan Mitchell’s hands when it matters most.