Donovan Mitchell won’t let Cavs go quietly after 'one of the best seasons of my life'

Editor's note: Donovan Mitchell carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to a win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Mitchell recently spoke with FOX Sports' Melissa Rohlin about his superb season. The original story continues as follows.

Donovan Mitchell didn't expect to be this happy.

When the Utah Jazz decided to trade him in the summer of 2022, he had hoped he'd land in his hometown of New York. So, when he was sent to Cleveland, he had no idea he'd feel the way he does now. 

"It's been one of the best seasons of my life," Mitchell told FOX Sports in an exclusive interview. "I'm glad I'm here. Obviously, it's no secret: Did I want to go home? I mean, yeah, sure. But coming here, seeing the group we had, understanding what we could continue to build, it wasn't long before I was like, man, this is special."

Mitchell, who was named an All-Star for the sixth straight season in February, helped the Cavaliers stun the NBA by opening their season with a 15-0 record and finishing as the top seed in the Eastern conference, with the second-best record in the league at 64-18.

Mitchell has brought both the Jazz and Cavaliers to the playoffs each of his eight seasons in the NBA, but he has never advanced past the second round. 

He’s hoping that could change this year. 

But in a surprising development, Mitchell now finds his Cavaliers in a 2-0 series hole against the Indiana Pacers in their second-round playoff series, with Game 3 in Indiana on Friday. 

Mitchell poured out his heart in Game 2, finishing with a 48-point, nine-assist, five-rebound and four-steal performance in the Cavaliers' 120-119 loss. The shorthanded Cavaliers – without Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley (ankle), De'Andre Hunter (thumb) and Darius