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'It doesn't mean much right now': Cavs, Donovan Mitchell unsatisfied with win streak
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- 'It doesn't mean much right now': Cavs, Donovan Mitchell unsatisfied with win streak
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers have won 12 consecutive games . But it doesn't mean they've been satisfied with each game during the streak.
The Cavs (52-10) beat the Miami Heat in comeback fashion Wednesday night to fashion their third winning streak of at least 12 games this season. It also clinched a spot as at least a top-six seed in the NBA playoffs with 20 games remaining, making them the first team to officially punch its ticket to the first round.
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But some trends during the win streak have irked them. Barring an absolute meltdown, there's no doubt the Cavs will be the No. 1 or No. 2 seed . At this point, it'd even take a Herculean effort for any team other than Cleveland to be the East's top seed, putting them on a potential collision course with the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals, unless there is a major upset.
It means simply winning games is no longer the standard. The Cavs want to be a blade that continues to be sharpened.
"We talked about this the other day. Sometimes I think we forget we're on a winning streak, to be honest with you," said All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell . "And I think I'm glad that that's the case. Because we won the game [Tuesday in Chicago ], we weren't happy. … I think if we were out here celebrating another win streak, I think it would show a lack of maturity in a sense."
The Cavs have won 12 in a row, but three consecutive games in that stretch featured a painfully slow start, starting with a 25-3 opening against the Celtics in Boston that forced the Cavs to overcome a 22-point deficit. They did but, to them, that's not the point. It takes a great deal of energy to overcome that type of deficit against that type of a team, and in a best-of-seven playoff series, pulling that off several times isn't going to work.
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"It's three games, so let's not overreact, but, that being said, we talked about [how] there's playoff urgency right where we are," said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson . "So if you get off to a bad start in the playoffs, it can lose you a game, and then you're chasing it. … You expend a lot of energy, and then you pay for that down the road."
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts against the Miami Heat on March 5, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Donovan Mitchell , Cavaliers have sights set on Boston Celtics , NBA playoffs run
Mitchell has never been to the conference finals in his career. This Cavaliers core has yet to win more than one playoff series in the same year together. So although they are acknowledging the historic season they're having, that in itself isn't enough.
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"It doesn't really mean much right now," Mitchell said, referencing the regular season. "We're doing a lot of positive things, but now it's just [about how it's] going to help translate to the playoffs."
Of course, it isn't a negative the Cavs have shown the ability to overcome 20-point deficits in the blink of an eye. They're just searching for answers to help them in the first quarter so they aren't forced into different rotations and strategies. If they can get off to better starts, it gives Atkinson a wide array of rotational and strategic options with how to attack opposing teams.
That flexibility has been one of the Cavs' top strengths, and it's a key reason as to why the 2024-25 Cavaliers might break the franchise's all-time record for regular-seasons wins.
"We expect to come into every game playing at our highest [level]," Mitchell said. "When shots don't go in, it's shocker for us. When we're not getting stops, it's a shocker because we've shown this is who we can be. I've always said we want to learn through wins.
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"Using the Boston game , the Portland game , the Chicago game as an example, not being satisfied, being happy we won this games, but not being satisfied throughout shows where we are mentally as a group."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs, Donovan Mitchell unsatisfied with 12-game win streak
