Cleveland Cavs All-Star Donovan Mitchell revealed how a playoff series against James Harden changed the trajectory of his career. Ahead of Cavs’ Mitchell and Harden’s pursuit of a championship, which officially begins with Game 1 of a best-of-7 series against the Toronto Raptors in the opening round of the playoffs, Donovan recalled how a five-game series against Harden and the Houston Rockets changed him in 2019.
Now, as Cavs teammates, Mitchell still reminds Harden of that series against the Utah Jazz, he said, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
“I 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,” Mitchell said. “I have that video saved on my phone. I think I shot 8 of 26, or maybe 5 of 26, in the closeout game.”
Mitchell finished with 12 points on 4-for-22 shooting, including 0-of-9 from deep in Game 5 of the Jazz’s first-round series against the Rockets. Mitchell, in only his second season with the Jazz at the time, vowed to use the loss as motivation to improve as a player.
“You don’t succeed without failure,” Mitchell told reporters that night. “You don’t 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’m upset and what all. But you know — I’m gonna be better. Simply put, I wasn’t tonight, and I’ll be better.”
Mitchell earned his first All-Star selection the following season and has been named an All-Star for seven consecutive seasons.
James Harden warns everyone of a potential Cavs title
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Cavs veteran guard James Harden is still chasing his first championship. Demanding a trade from the Clippers ahead of this year’s deadline, Harden joins a Cavs team with two All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, trying to get over the hump.
Harden addressed his goal of winning a title, per Andscape’s Marc Spears.
“I don’t think the world wants to see [my emotions] if that happens,” Harden said. “I put so much work into the game. Still to this day, I’m putting work in right now. I’m here for a reason, still putting in a high level [of shots] for a reason. I generally work my butt off. People don’t really see it, which is fine because I’m here for a reason.
“A lot of guys faded away, and we still see guys in year 17-plus. It’s only a handful of them that’s still playing at the highest level, which means credit to their work. But [a championship is] something that I work my butt off for every single day.”
Harden is in his 17th NBA season.