Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell had an uncharacteristically poor performance in Game 4 on Sunday against the New York Knicks. Following the game, he did not mince words about his struggles.
Mitchell finished Sunday’s game with only 11 points, shooting 5 of 18 from the field and committing six turnovers. The Knicks were able to come away with a 102-93 victory to take a 3-1 lead in the series.
The four-time All-Star was clearly not pleased with his play. He blamed his poor performance for the team’s loss in this crucial Game 4 matchup.
“I didn’t show up for my teammates,” Mitchell told reporters on Sunday night. “Everybody did their job, and I didn’t do what I was capable of and that’s on me. I played like ****. I’m the leader of this group, everybody did their job, and I didn’t. Simple as that.”
Mitchell was far from the only Cavaliers player that was disappointed with their play in the game. Star center Jarrett Allen was also vocal about his performance not being good enough to get a win.
“It’s tough and, I’m going to be quoting Donovan Mitchell right now, a lot of it is on me,” said Allen after Game 4. “I should be down there, boxing out and pushing guys around more. It’s frustrating to see myself let somebody get that many offensive rebounds.”
Allen was referring to Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who secured seven offensive rebounds in the win Sunday.
It is certainly a disappointing result for the Cavaliers, and they now face elimination in Game 5 against the Knicks on Tuesday night. Expect both Mitchell and Allen to try and make a statement on Tuesday night as they try and avoid a first-round exit.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.