The Cavs advanced to the Eastern Conference playoffs to take on the Boston Celtics after winning game 7 of their series against the Orlando Magic.
This was the first playoff series that the Cavs have won without LeBron James since 1993, according to ESPN.
The series victory came on Sunday, May5, as the Cavs won game 7 with a score of 106-94. According to ESPN, the Cavs came back from 18 points down in the first half and were “in danger of being eliminated early for the second year in a row — a scenario that may have led to firings.”
Sports Illustrated noted their first half struggle: “The Wine and Gold scored just 18 points in the first quarter only shot 27% from the floor and missed all seven three-point attempts in the first 12 minutes.”
But with help from Donovan Mitchell’s 39 points and Caris Levert’s 15 points, Cleveland avoided a loss.
According to the NBA, Cleveland’s Game 7 comeback is the largest comeback since the league began tracking play-by-play in 1997. The Rocket Mortgage Field House erupted at the end of game 7 with the fans cheering “We want Boston!”
Prior to their game 7 victory, the Cavs lost to the Orlando Magic on May 3rd in game 6 with a score of 96-103. Even with Mitchell scoring 50 points, it wasn’t enough as the Orlando Magic ran past the Cavs in the fourth quarter. The Cavs were held to just 18 points in the final period.
The closest game in the series was game 5, which the Cavs won by just one point in the final second. Cleveland fans were excited about this 104-103 win, as they won without star Jarret Allen, who was injured with bruised ribs during game 1 after taking an elbow to the side.
The game 5 win was a turning point in the series, putting the Cavs up by 1 after having lost the two games prior, falling victim to Orlando in both games 3 and 4. They lost game 3 by 38 points and game 4 by 23 points after winning two in a row for games 1 and 2.
After the series win, Donovan Mitchell was cautious about celebrating too soon. “I don’t mean this disrespectful, but it doesn’t really mean much,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t come in just to win the first round. We accomplished one goal, now we have to do it again. That’s the mindset.”
