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The NBA playoffs are back in the smoke, and on the evening of May 4th, two peak matchups are ushered in! The Cavaliers' fierce Mitchell once again staged a scene of heroism, scoring 50 points alone, although defeated, and in another game, the Mavericks relied on Irving's god-level play to defeat the Clippers 114-101, and ended the series with a big score of 4-2!
Let's start by recapping the Cavaliers vs. Magic. At the end of the game, the two teams were still inseparable. As the dark horse in the East, the young players of the Magic team were undaunted, and the trio of Wagner Jr., Suggs and Banchero combined to score 75 points to help the team drag the series into a tiebreaker. Among them, Banchero, who was born in 1998, shined even more, scoring 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in 41 minutes, and scoring 10 points at the critical moment in the final quarter.
Although the Cavaliers failed to end the series in one fell swoop, the performance of the star Mitchell was worthy of the "chivalry"! It is reported that Mitchell was plagued by a knee injury before the game, but he still gritted his teeth and insisted on playing. In the whole game, Mitchell played as many as 41 minutes, shot 22 of 36, slashed 50 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, becoming the only active player to score 50+ in the playoffs 3 times!
Let's talk about this battle between the Clippers and the Mavericks. Xiaoka continued to miss this game, and although the Clippers had five players score double-doubles, Harden had 16 points and 13 assists, George had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Zubac had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Powell came off the bench to score 20 points, but the overall performance was not good. In the second half of the game, the Clippers collectively fell behind by as many as 24 points, and finally lost 101-114, and were eliminated by a big score of 2-4.
The Mavericks were able to advance strongly, and Irving contributed a lot! This chosen son played 42 minutes, 11 of 19 shots, plus 5 of 9 free throws, 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, plus a plus/minus of +22! Especially in the second half, Irving seemed to have turned on the god mode, scoring 28 points alone, and beating the opponent with a devastating momentum. Interestingly, according to relevant statistics, when holding the series match point, Irving has never tasted defeat, winning all 13 games in his career, which can be called the "match point killer"! Of course, Doncic, another core of the team, also played well, with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 13 assists, and the men's football MVP-level performance.
As a veteran NBA reporter, I keep an eye on the latest developments in the playoffs. Last night, two thrilling battles ignited this spring again! The battle between the Cavaliers and the Magic team on Tianwang Mountain, the two sides went back and forth, and the winner was not decided until the last second. As the absolute heart of the Cavaliers, Mitchell once again showed what he was like a superstar. Even with a knee injury, the three-time All-Star still stood up resolutely and led the team to the back of the day. Mitchell scored 50 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists on 22-of-36 shooting, which was the third time in his playoff career that he hit 50+, and it also made him the only active player to accomplish this feat!
Unfortunately, even though Mitchell scored 18 points in the final quarter, the Cavaliers ultimately fell short and failed to qualify. However, the performance of the Magic's young players is equally commendable. Wagner Jr. scored 26 points, Suggs scored 22 points and 6 three-pointers, and Banchero played the best performance of his career, 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and scored 10 points in a row at the critical moment in the final quarter.
And in Los Angeles, the Clippers and the Mavericks staged a good show of "God of Europe". Xiaoka continued to be absent due to injury, and the Clippers were leaderless, although there were five players including Harden, George, and Zubac who scored double-doubles, but the overall performance was lackluster. On the other hand, the Mavericks, with the horror duo of Irving and Doncic in charge, the victory seems to be predestined. The two supergiants teamed up to score 58 points, including 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, with a plus/minus of +22, which can be called the brightest star!
Counting Irving's playoff experience, he was literally made for this stage. In the 2016 Finals G7, Irving beat the Warriors with key shots to help the Cavaliers win the championship; in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, Irving averaged 25.8 points per game to defeat Celtic and lead the team to the Finals; and during his time with the Nets last season, Irving eliminated the Celtics with 32 points and 12 assists...... In this playoffs, Irving won all again when he held the match point, and faced the knockout round 13 times in his career, without a single defeat, and his cold-bloodedness made countless stars sigh to themselves!
In fact, Owen, who has been in the spotlight since he was a child, seems to have been born with extraordinary talent. In the 2011 draft, the Cavaliers didn't hesitate to select the 19-year-old talent. In the years since, Irving has quickly grown to become one of the league's top scorers with a dizzying dribble and bizarre change of direction. His signature move "Owen Change of Direction" is even more well-known, making countless top defensive giants suffer. Now back in the playoffs, Irving is proving to all doubters that he is still the irreplaceable superstar!
Going back to last night's game, although Mitchell and Irving both had wonderful performances, Irving was undoubtedly better considering the outcome and impact of the game. Leading the team to play a triumphant song, scoring the highest score of the whole team in this game, and scoring 20 points in the final quarter to directly collapse the game, Irving deservedly won the best of the day! For the majority of fans, it is a great pleasure to be able to enjoy such a high-level peak matchup on the playoff stage. Let's cheer for the wonderful performances of these top stars, and wish them another great result in the next games!
Looking at the two games, although Mitchell's 50-point miracle is moving, considering that Irving's god-level performance helped the team end the series, and finally won the best of the day!