Nearly two years ago, a despondent Donovan Mitchell sat at the podium after the Cavs were eliminated in the first round of the postseason by the New York Knicks. After that Game 5 loss, Mitchell blamed himself for missing shots he normally makes.

The Cleveland Cavs devised a strategy for Donovan Mitchell to sacrifice for his teammates. He fully embraced it. He's scoring less and winning more.

Mitchell’s extra effort plays didn’t show through in rebounds on Wednesday. It was blocks this time as he swatted away a game-high three shots. All of which came when the Cavs