Donovan Mitchell Tortures His Hometown Knicks As Cavs Run Win Streak To Five

There’s an old saying that says adversity builds character. I’m a firm believer that adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have endured their fair share of adversity in the early days of the 2022-23 season and have responded every time.

A season-opening loss to the Toronto Raptors? They’ve answered with five-straight wins.

Darius Garland goes down with an eye injury? Donovan Mitchell steps up to carry the load.

So, Sunday night when the Knicks came to town, they Cavs were a prime candidate to suffer a hangover following an emotional win over the Boston Celtics with a rematch on the horizon.

The Cavs looked like their legs were gone. The team who had so proudly touted its physical fitness in the early season looked like they were gassed in the third quarter. They shot just 20 percent (3-for-15) from 3-point range after starting out scorching from deep.

Then the fourth quarter started, and the Cavs buckled down and held the Knicks to just 15 points in the final frame. Donovan Mitchell continued to make Cavalier history, Kevin Love turned back clock and newly appointed starter Dean Wade had a career-night as the Cavs ran away from the Knicks for their fifth straight win, 121-108.

All five wins have been by double-digits. The Cavs had two win streaks of five games or more last season, ripping off six-in-a-row last December and five straight through mid-January.

The Cavs now have a 5-1 record, have the NBAs 6th best offense, 3rd best defense and are the top dog when it comes to three-point shooting percentage.

New York State Of Mind

Donovan Mitchell knew he was probably getting traded this summer, the only question was where he was headed.

The New York native heard the rumors. A homecoming to Madison Square Garden seemed like it was in the future. Ultimately, it was the Cavaliers who came calling.

Mitchell was clearly playing with a little extra juice Sunday night, particularly early.

He canned five 3s in the first quarter against his hometown Knicks and at one point had half of the Cavs’ 30 points with 2:58 to play in the first frame. He also had a sick no-look pass to Dean Wade on a fast break in the first quarter.

In the second half, Mitchell hustled back and made a basket-saving block and obliterated Isaiah Hartentein’s face with a spin move and a dunk in the fourth quarter. He electrified the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd all night and his four-point play tied the game with seven minutes left.

SPIN & SLAM.@spidadmitchell | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/0nut5zHlcn
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 31, 2022

In six games with the Wine and Gold, Mitchell has scored 30 or more points in five of them. He followed up his 41-point performance with another 38 points and 12 assists against the Knicks. Mitchell was 8-of-13 from deep and once again received the M-V-P chants from a raucous Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse crowd.

Asked if he felt the Knicks regretted making the trade: "You’ve got to ask them. I'm happy to be here. It's over with. We got a good win, we're 5-1,” Mitchell said. “We'll see these guys again in a month or two.”

Dean Wade Has Career-Night

Dean Wade has started at Small Forward for the last three games and has looked comfortable in his new starting role. We know Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was a fan of the Big lineup last season when they had Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen and Jarrett Allen all starting.

With Wade in the starting five, the Cavs resembled more of that look with Caris LeVert shifting to the No 2. guard in Darius Garland’s absence.

Sunday night, Wade put up a career-night with 22 points in 33 minutes. Wade canned 6-of-8 triples and added four rebounds and three assists. Coming into the night he was one of four Cavaliers shooting at-or-above 40 percent from deep.

For his effort, he earned the Junkyard Dog chain.

Dean the Junkyard Dog 🐶@ThatsJared | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/Ko7qrX5Nks
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 31, 2022

Lovin’ it

Not to be outdone, Kevin Love was equally as hot from deep on Sunday night. He poured in 29 points and 16 of them came in the 4th quarter as the Cavs choked the Knicks to death and flexed their muscle down the stretch.

Love has been huge for the Cavs coming off the bench, providing a spark of offense at just the right time. He’s bought in to his role over the last year-plus and is equally as effective on the defensive end, cleaning up on the glass and drawing charges.

Last year, Love racked up 26 charges which was tied for the league lead. He said it was a stat he didn’t pay much attention to until about December. He’s drawn six so far this season.

Love was one of the most vocal on the bench in the second half as the Cavs were mounting their comeback, challenging his teammates to keep pushing to chip away at the Knicks lead.

Raining 3s

The Cavaliers came into Sunday night as the best three-point shooting team in the NBA. They chucked 50 threes against the Knicks and connected on 26 of them. While the total is eye popping and it’s not exactly the game plan that Bickerstaff would draw up, he was pleased with the quality of the looks they were getting most of the night.

Mitchell and Love were instrumental in the Cavs assault from deep. Mitchell canned 5-of-7 from deep in the 1st quarter while Love knocked down the same in the 4th quarter to close it out. Dean Wade also drilled five long balls on his way to a career-high 22 points.

The Cavs started out hot from deep before going ice cold in the third quarter. They were just 3-of-15 from deep before Love caught fire in the 4th quarter.

Mitchell and Love are only the second pair of teammates in NBA history to each make eight or more 3s in the same game. Coby White and Zach Lavine did it last year.

Mr. 1,500

Midway through the 1st quarter, the Cavaliers honored broadcast Jim Chones for calling his 1,500th career game. The 72-year-old will turn 73 on November 30th and is in his 13th season behind the microphone.

His low and boomy voice has helped illustrate some of the most meaningful moments in franchise history. Chones was welcomed back from each break in the broadcast with a special message from fellow broadcasters he’s worked with over the years.

Chones played for the Cavaliers for five seasons, including the “Miracle at Richfield” season. He averaged a career-best 15.8 points per game and nine rebounds per night. The former center ranks seventh on the list of all-time Cavaliers rebounders with 3,790 boards and is eighth with 2,750 defensive rebounds

Up Next

The Cavs have a much-anticipated rematch with the Celtics on Wednesday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. With a 132-123 win in overtime on Friday night, you can expect another high stakes clash between two early season Eastern Conference contenders.

Through six games the Cavs are 5-1 and sit just a half-game behind Milwaukee for the top spot in the East.

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