Donovan Mitchell: “Sometimes you’ve got to tip your cap. He made a one-handed spin move on me. Not to say he’s not capable, but sometimes that’s what happens. We’ll make our adjustments, but you’ve got to give credit where credit is due”
You know, he’s pretty media savvy
He seems like a good dude
Craziest thing is he’s been a likable, well-meaning PR god since like day 1 in the NBA.
Probably helps that his dad worked in FO environments when he was coming up, but he’s just got a great head on his shoulders regardless.
Always hoping he succeeds wherever he’s at
He is I like him so much. I envisioned him in a Knicks jersey a few times
Pretty cute too.
With quite a bulge
Hm
I’m blown away by his girth and tonnage.
I think his fiancée the gorgeous CoCo Jones would agree. Dude might be losing the east finals but clearly winning at life lol
He does. From the limited exposure I have watching him, he plays an honest game and is very talented.
I mean he grew up around professional sports and their athletes because of his dad
Let’s be real - if Josh Hart shoots better than Sam Merrill we are cooked lmao
Hart shot 41% from 3 this year while Merrill was at 42%.
Idk why people act like Hart is like Ben Simmons or something.
Because Josh Hart has existed beyond this season and this year’s percentages can seem flukey.
In reverse order his percentages have been 33%, 31%, 37%, 37%, 32%, 34%, 32%, 34%, 33%, 39%
Merrill is a career 40% shooter from 3, seems like a pretty fair comment.
To be clear, Merrill is clearly a better shooter than Hart.
But people act like Hart is some awful shooter like Ausar Thompson or something. In reality he shoots 35% from 3 for his career, 36% with the Knicks
He shot 44% on wide open 3s and 40% on open 3s this season. When the Cavs leave him as open as they did, what do you think is gonna happen.
The difference is Hart’s shots are practice shots while defenders are on red alert for any Merrill shooting window.
Yeah it was bizarre how we wide open we left hart. Like if dude has hit two 3s then you gotta adjust.
Maybe not 2 during this game cause he was like 2-7 or something. But by the third three you have to at least shade towards him a little bit. It felt similiar to how the Knicks were guarding Mitchell in game 1. Over helping on the doubles which just led to too many open looks for someone
No people act like he is an average shooter, which he is.
But you can’t leave even an average shooter wide open all game. Even an average nba shooter is good, those were practice shots for Hart
Sure you can, there are many reasons to, but it’s obviously a risk. The Spurs are literally doing it with Caruso, and it’s worth it for them because it means Wemby can roam.
Things like this are calculated risks.
How did that work for you guys in our last matchup of the season? Celtics left him open most of the time.
No idea, don’t care about meaningless regular season games, and also if you’re trying to get under my skin or something it won’t work.
I’m just being honest about his shooting ability, obviously average shooters can still make open shots, it’s a calculated gamble.
Seems like the got under your skin.
Why do you say that? I can assure you it didn’t, it’s a pretty normal defensive tactic when you have a big man you want to keep near the basket on defense.
do you think teams giving brown or tatum open 3s is a good defensive strat?
If the other team had to focus on a team of better talent, then maybe. It depends on personal and if you think it’s better to play straight up or make sure certain players can stay in a certain position on defense and give something up as a consequence.
Josh harts issue is a willingness to shoot. I honestly think he’s improved a lot these 2 years. Leave him open enough he starts to knock down these 3s. He’s not an idiot. He knows his percentages and he knows why people leave him open. I think teams leave him too open to their own detriment. Windy said it pretty succinctly, he said “it’s not like he’s ausar thompson”
Teams don’t want to leave anyone wide open…they do it as a calculated risk because they want to align the defense a certain way.
Yes even average shooters can make open shots and it can backfire
Agreed
You can’t just look at percentages. Hart took 3 a game while Merrill took 7.
The quality of shots they take are far different. Hart shoots when he’s wide open and Merrill shoots anywhere and everywhere
Going into the series we had all our starters averaging at least 40% from 3. OG and KAT averaging like 50%.
Cavs were not on that level. We’re a better shooting team.
I mean I watch Mobley shoot and technically his hand changes release every time, there’s a reason he’s so inconsistent
[deleted]
Ok buddy
41% still isn’t bad tho
Bro 41% is literally elite. Did you just start watching ball.
41% is a career year for most dudes.
41% and a little bit of d is enough for generational wealth
I’ve got a little d. What do I need 41% of now?
Forget which analyst said it but before the series they mentioned that the “Break glass in case of emergency” defensive counter for the Cavs was leave Hart open and if they did that early in the series and he hits his 3s this series would be very short.
That’s wild to be breaking the emergency glass in g2 on the road.
Go Knicks!
Facts, I weirdly think Cavs are still live here. Do think they also have been outcoached significantly in a way I didn’t think after Game 2 in Detroit
Well Mike Brown was a Cavs coach, and weirdly enough, so was Bickerstaff. What are the odds of a team playing back to back against a former coach?
Really? That’s the reason why you’re cooked? Lol the list goes on and on
Fair answer
I mean, he’s referencing the one crazy shot Hart hit while ignoring all the completely wide open 3s.
Didn’t ignore it at all, he compares Hart’s play to Alex Caruso’s in the clip and the way they’re both guarded and then says they’ll have to make adjustments
Yup the press conference was just this one sentence and then he left
some people really need their comment section privileges taken away
When people act like this, it’s so dumb that you know it’s not a bot.
he didn’t have a bad game but he really just kinda disappears pretty often when he should be stepping up and taking over games
I think he’s nursing a hidden injury. He hasn’t played like the attacking, explosive scorer that he’s been his entire career
He’s not hiding it very well when you watch him run up and down the court lol
As soon as I turned on the game and saw him running I thought “uh oh, did he hurt his back?”
I think anyone who’s hurt their back recognizes that stiff back jog that just saps your general movement and explosiveness. Obviously I could be completely off, but that’s what it looks like to me.
He’s always nursing an injury come playoff time. I love how he never tries to make excuses or be all performative in displaying that he’s hurt. The man just goes out and plays.
i mean have u seen his fingers
Thats the difference between mitchell and brunson when brunson shooting isn’t working he will try difference things like playing off ball or being pass first when mitchell isn’t scoring he’s pretty much a non factor
Brunson has worked hard his entire life and sacrifices it’s shown in his cheaper contract. Don doesn’t sacrifice
When will Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson kiss and have kids
Lmao bro. People argued Brunsons contract was an OVERpay when he took it. He didn’t sacrifice anything in his contract. Crazy the storylines people come up with sometimes
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/cLiIfAldiW
Not the first contract…the second contract he signed. He signed a year early for 4 years, \(156 million and purposefully left \)113 million on the table to give the team financial flexibility.
Thankyou, this other guy is jusy a clown
stop saying nonsense
What’s wrong with what I said?
brunson is one of the most tunnel vision players in the league. he just played better today you’re overreacting
Maybe in the past but If you were watching the playoffs since the hawks series he’s really stepped it up on passing if his shot isn’t falling and it’s working
you’re being lazy. mitchell teammates went 1-15 from 3. he was getting them open looks. it hit wasnt the cav day. you’re no going to make brunson sound like nash compared to mtichell, especially since he’s not even better
mitchell’s teammates could’ve hit 10 more shots on direct passes and mitchell would still have less assists than jb. is this a serious comment? the disparity is ONE assist by dmitch vs 14 for brunson. lmao
Mitchell refuses to pass to open players ALL THE TIME you’re delusional. All game today he forced it into the paint and he only passes when he has no chance at scoring anymore instead of passing when somebody else has a great chance.
14 assists in game 2 btw
youre blind or braindead
possibly both
“I watch stats and act like I understand basketball” sit down and fix the perception you have of yourself
I mean it’s pretty hard when Harden dribbles the air out of the ball at the top of the key for 20 seconds
You can’t really take over games when the main shooters off the bench go 1-14 from 3 which causes the floor to shrink
yes you can. Brunson basically did that game 1 for most that run until the Knicks shooters finally got hot
lmfao
yeah you are both
Cavs bench outscored the Knicks bench
For the life of me I cannot fathom why they’re starting Dean Wade
Because they see him as a Brunson stopper, even though it really hasn’t worked
Just not worth the offensive impact, Knicks have other guys that can punish you anyway
Cavs had 16 in that first quarter game 1 and he was a big reason
Future coach spida
Yeah when Hart knocked down that shot I knew it was time to pack it up.
Will Mitchell adjust to a different chap stick on the bench while his team is fighting for their life ?
Yeah. I mean, get some Burt’s Bees dawg
Why is there so many dumbasses obsessed with his chapstick lmao
Fairly certain it’s all playful joke. At least my comment was.
fragile masculinity
The “Spida” nickname is lame af. I feel like there’s been a surge in its usage this series for some reason.
Nah it’s been around and used for a while
Ya I know it’s been around. Feel like it’s never truly taken off. This past week I’ve been hearing it left and right on ESPN.
It’s been his nickname for as long as I can remember
he’s had that nickname since his early Utah days
It is lame and I don’t even understand it. It’s like a black mamba type nickname except it’s just a generic spider. Some spiders are pretty lame and not scary lmao
He’s 6’1” tall and has a 7’ wingspan.
He’s called “spida” because he looks like he’s all legs.
TIL
Yeah if you think about it, when you’re playing ball in middle school and high school and you have long ass limbs and make crazy plays, that nickname works perfect and sticks. Then you play college and then pro, and everyone has long ass limbs so the nickname doesn’t differentiate you as much. Still a cool name IMO.