BREAKING: Donovan Mitchell Sends Warning to Cavs Doubters Ahead of NBA Playoffs

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been terrorizing the rest of the NBA all season long. At one point they were on pace to break their franchise record for wins in a season which was set at 66 in 2008-09 during LeBron James’ first stint with the team. Because of some late season injuries combined with resting their stars for the playoffs, the record was never broken, but Cleveland wasn’t too far off with 64 wins. Although people in the city are rightfully confident, there has been doubt among other fanbases and the media about how well the team will fare in the playoffs.

These doubts likely stem from the fact that the roster remains largely the same as last year when the Cavs lost in the second round to the Boston Celtics. Cleveland probably would’ve lost anyway, but they were without star guard Donovan Mitchell for the final two games of that series.

Although the roster is mostly the same, there are extreme differences in coaching, play style, and confidence. Last year, the team won just 48 games, and they were backing into the playoffs by dropping winnable games to teams that were not on their level. This year, although they haven’t been playing their best basketball as of late, head coach Kenny Atkinson has reinvented the team’s offensive philosophy and transformed them into one of the most dominant defenses in the NBA. With all of these positive changes, Mitchell is feeling more confident in him and his team’s ability than ever before.

The Cleveland doubters have been loud all season long, but the former Utah Jazz guard is itching to prove them wrong. In a recent interview, Mitchell spoke on all the detractors his team has dealt with and had this to say, “Once we do what we believe we can do, that will definitely change.” He didn’t explicitly say it, but this sure sounds like the six-time All-Star is guaranteeing a championship. It’s a bold statement that is sure to end up on opposing teams’ bulletin boards, but it’s hard to disagree with him. The Eastern Conference bracket fell perfectly for Cleveland as they’ll be able to avoid Boston until the Conference Finals.

If Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard isn’t back soon, they may lose to the Indiana Pacers in the first round which would help the Cavs avoid Giannis Antetokounmpo who could prove to be a nightmare matchup with his extraordinary athleticism and power. Mitchell is clearly confident that Cleveland will silence their doubters and deliver the city their second NBA championship. It would be a historic accomplishment to hoist the Larry O‘Brien Trophy without a consensus top 10 player on the roster.