JOE REEDY
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4 min read
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Donovan Mitchell hasn’t allowed himself to enjoy leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
As the Cavaliers continued to surpass expectations and wrapped up the regular season with the NBA’s second-best record, the painful memories of what happened the last time he was on a team with a top seed provided more fuel for his leadership.
Mitchell is in a conference semifinal for the fourth time in his eight-year career. His biggest disappointment came in the 2021 playoffs, when the Utah Jazz were the top seed in the Western Conference but were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers.