Mitchell wants ‘to have a parade outside the arena’ like 2016 Cavs
Mitchell has respect for what LeBron was able to do, but wants to create a legacy of his own.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell grew up idolizing LeBron James. That included being a fan of what James did during the 2016 NBA Finals.
“It’s history,” Mitchell said of James’s run in 2016 on Wednesday night. “What he did was historic. I was a fan of it. I was watching it.”
While Mitchell has respect for what LeBron did for the organization, he played against him on Wednesday like someone who wanted to show that he is a worthy successor to James’s abdicated throne.
Mitchell scored Cleveland’s first seven points and 16 in the first quarter to give the Cavs a double-digit lead over the Los Angeles Lakers that they wouldn’t relinquish. It was a start so demoralizing that LeBron admitted afterward that he couldn’t appreciate the tribute video the Cavs played for him and Bronny because they were getting their “ass drubbed at that moment.”
That has been a common theme for the Cavs recently. They’re one of two undefeated teams, have the best net rating in the league, and have won four of their five games by 10 or more points.
“Being the new face here, you want to have that feeling,” Mitchell said about watching the 2016 Cavs. “I want to have that parade outside of the arena. You want to have those moments. It’s definitely the ultimate respect. It’s the first championship in 50-something years, you want to be the next one. Those are those moments you don’t forget.”
Mitchell hasn’t been shy about his goals for Cleveland. He’s said that this is a championship-contending team before. But there are steps they need to take before that can happen. His head coach believes this as well.
“We’re developing, we’re still learning each other,” Kenny Atkinson said. “It’s, still a work in progress, but we feel like we’re headed in the right direction.”
You can’t win a championship in October. The only thing you can do now is put together habits that will allow you to win in spring and summer. So far, the Cavs are doing that.
“The goal is to continue to play good basketball and build good habits,” Mitchell said. “It’s that that we’re learning these in wins. I’ve this this to you before, it’s always great to learn through victory. We just got to continue to play good basketball. That’s the biggest thing.”