This game wasn’t just about Cleveland’s perfect season, their 15-game winning streak, or even the NBA Cup.
It was an opportunity for the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers to see how they measured up against the defending champions.
“This was a great test for us, and unfortunately we didn’t get the win,” said Donovan Mitchell, whose 35 points couldn’t stop the Cavaliers from suffering their first loss of the season, 120-117 to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
“It’s definitely a measuring stick,” Mitchell added, noting that he scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, including 14 consecutive Cleveland points in the final four minutes. “You want to see where you’re at, but not hold too much weight on it. … We’re not going to be the same team now that we are in April.”
The Celtics won their 18th championship last spring, beating the Cavaliers in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. They entered the season as favorites to either repeat as champions or at least return to the NBA Finals.
Cleveland, which won a playoff series last year for the first time since LeBron James left in 2018, wasn’t expected to be a top contender.
However, it was Cleveland that shot to the top of the standings this fall, riding a franchise-record 15-game winning streak that made them the last unbeaten team in the league. Coach Kenny Atkinson became the first NBA coach to win his first 15 games with a new team.
“You want to be a part of history in that regard. But it’s a thing of the past. It’s over with. And, you know, it was a good run,” Mitchell said. “It was fun. When you’re playing basketball, good basketball, and obviously winning games — whether it’s blowouts, close games, or come-from-behind wins — you enjoy these moments.”
“It’s great to be part of history. We wish we had kept it going,” he said. “But, like I said, there’s no championships in November.”
The Celtics used a strong 3-point shooting performance on Tuesday to build a 21-point lead, but the Cavaliers fought back and cut the lead to two points in the third quarter. Cleveland trailed by nine, 114-105, with 90 seconds left, before Mitchell hit a floater and another layup to make it a five-point game.
With Boston leading 117-110 with 25 seconds left, Mitchell hit a rainbow 3-pointer to reduce the deficit to four points. After Jayson Tatum, who scored 33, made one of two free throws, he collided with Mitchell while trying to steal the ball.
Mitchell stayed on the floor for a few moments, but the play wasn’t reviewed to see if it might have been a flagrant foul that could have given the Cavaliers two free throws and the ball.
“I was just praying to God I didn’t have a concussion. That’s my only thing,” said Mitchell, who watched the play again after the game and didn’t think it should have been a flagrant foul. “It was a play on the ball. He’s got bony shoulders. So I hit his shoulder, and it is what it is.”
Atkinson took responsibility for not finding a solution to stop a Celtics team that went 14 for 22 from 3-point range in the first half to build a 17-point lead.
He praised his team, which played without Issac Okoro (ankle), Caris LeVert (knee), and Dean Wade (ankle), for nearly erasing that deficit in the third quarter.
“They shot the heck out of it,” Atkinson said. “That big second quarter, that was too much to overcome. Second half, we turned it up, but it’s kind of too late.”
The coach was already looking ahead to their next game against the Celtics, which will be in Cleveland on Dec. 1.
“They’re so good. We gave resistance in the second half, but … a lot of stuff we can improve on,” he said. “We’ll have another shot at them soon.”
