{"id":689508,"date":"2026-03-31T07:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T07:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/689508\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T07:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T07:53:19","slug":"will-this-be-the-year-donovan-mitchell-makes-a-conference-final-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/689508\/","title":{"rendered":"Will this be the year Donovan Mitchell makes a conference final? \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, Donovan Mitchell will make his 9th playoff appearance. Despite having been to the playoffs nine times, he\u2019s yet to make it past the second round. He\u2019s never played in a conference finals \u2014 Western or Eastern.<\/p>\n

So, the big questions are, is this the year he makes it out? Was the Cleveland Cavaliers\u2019 trade deadline acquisition of James Harden the missing piece? And, does it weigh on Mitchell that he hasn\u2019t reached a conference final?<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably heard every coach say something to the effect of, \u201cwe want to be playing our best basketball heading into the playoffs.\u201d They all say it, because that\u2019s the ideal way to enter the postseason. But that classic saying isn\u2019t just about a team playing efficiently. It\u2019s about being healthy, about a collective confidence and belief, about all of the intangibles that take a team from good, to great.<\/p>\n

I wondered if Mitchell had ever walked into the playoffs, feeling like he and his team were ready in the fullest sense \u2014 with the Utah Jazz or the Cavs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, obviously the \u201921 year here, I was hurt,\u201d Mitchell started, recalling all of his playoff runs. \u201cThe years we lost to (Harden) over there, we were healthy. Dallas, we were healthy, but we weren\u2019t together. So I can\u2019t really … but we were a 55-win team. My first year here, we were just young, we didn\u2019t rise to the occasion, myself included. Next year was our test, and then we got hurt again. So I mean, yeah, it\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) looks on during a postgame interview after the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Utah Jazz 122-113 in an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Keon Ellis (14) attempts to drive past Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts after an assist during the second half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) is fouled by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) while driving to the basket during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) attempts to keep the ball in play ahead of Utah Jazz center Oscar Tshiebwe (34) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) thanks his left hand after making a layup on the final play of the first half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) looks on as a teammate takes free throws during the first half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Retired professional snowboarder and founder of The Snow League Shaun White, center right, reacts after a Utah Jazz 3-pointer during the second half of an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) attempts to stay inbounds after catching an off target pass during the first half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz guard Elijah Harkless (16) talks with Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) before an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) takes off his warmup jacket before an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) passes the ball during the first half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) dribbles at half court during the second half of an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) drives to the basket for a layup past Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) warms up before an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) looks on during warmups before an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the first half of an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz guard Bez Mbeng (21) attempts to steal the ball from Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) dunks the ball during the first half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) advances the ball up court during the first half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schr\u00f6der (8) reacts after missing a shot during the first half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

Photo Gallery: 26 of 41<\/p>\n

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) warms up before an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) advances the ball during the second half of an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) grabs a rebound against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Nae’qwan Tomlin (35) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) warms up before an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) hugs Jazz Bear after an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots a 3-pointer over Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second half of an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) reacts after making a 3-pointer during the second half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives past Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) drives past Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) looks to pass around Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks with Gail Miller before an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) falls into the first row of seats while attempting to keep the ball in play during the first half of an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schr\u00f6der (8) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy looks on during the first half of an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News \"\"<\/p>\n

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Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, left, reacts after a play during the second half of an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News <\/p>\n

He wants to say that there have been times that he felt like everything was perfectly aligned \u2014 health, belief, on-court product. Even if he believes that the Rudy Gobert-Mitchell pairing with Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdonovic flanking the duo were the right combo, they still weren\u2019t able to stay healthy or maintain the perfect level of togetherness to start the playoffs on the right note.<\/p>\n

But because it takes so much to be great in the playoffs, because it\u2019s such a monumental mountain to climb, Mitchell isn\u2019t deterred.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want that (health and confidence) to be an excuse, but there\u2019s definitely a lot that goes into it,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cWhich is why I don\u2019t dwell on the fact that I haven\u2019t made it out the second round. I\u2019m not taking the onus off myself, I\u2019m always going to put that pressure on me. But there is so much that goes into that.”<\/p>\n

The difference this year, of course, is that the pressure isn\u2019t all on Mitchell, because Harden is right there with him.<\/p>\n

Harden believes deeply in health being the most important part of heading into the playoffs. Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson believes that with some tweaking on the defensive end and some more effort on that side of the ball, that the Cavaliers are deep enough and confident enough to make a special run. Mitchell believes that his best is in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to have some good fortune as it relates to health,\u201d Jazz head coach Will Hardy said of what it takes for a good team to break through to greatness in the postseason. \u201cSometimes you don\u2019t need to add to the group. Sometimes the group has to go through hard moments together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think right now, we have a pretty high emotional reaction to everything that happens in our league. You beat a really good team, and people start asking like, \u2018Wow, does this mean they turned the corner?\u2019 Or, you lose a game in a weird way, and people start going, \u2018oh, they don\u2019t have it, and they don\u2019t know how to close.\u2019 And neither are really true. But, I think a group of people that go through hard things together, you do have the ability to maybe navigate it better the next time, because the consistency is ultimately what gives you the best chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

That line of thinking would make you wonder, have Harden and Mitchell been together long enough for this all to work with the Cavaliers? Did the Cavaliers really need to add someone like Harden for them to have the best chance? Did they break some of their consistency at the wrong time?<\/p>\n

But in the next breath, when asked about the pairing of Mitchell and Harden, you can tell that Hardy is as much a believer in Cleveland\u2019s chances as anyone. Because the simple truth is that when you add someone like Harden to a roster, it\u2019s not just adding a little bit more talent.<\/p>\n

Instead, the addition of Harden, especially alongside someone like Mitchell, completely ramps up what that team is capable of, and both of them know exactly what it\u2019s like to get bounced from the playoffs early, they know what it is going to take to make it over that hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cNightmare fuel,\u201d Hardy said, describing the addition of Harden next to Mitchell. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the best isolation players we\u2019ve ever seen. He\u2019s an elite pick and roll player. Offensively, the combination of he and Donovan creates a lot of situations where you don\u2019t have good choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe more importantly, as Mitchell prepares for his ninth postseason, is that Harden provides some relief. Harden has so often in his career been the player that has taken on the lion\u2019s share of the offensive responsibility in a game and he\u2019s completely capable of doing so. Mitchell is the same.<\/p>\n

But with Mitchell and Harden together, they provide relief and the ability to share the load, which, in turn, provides relief to the rest of the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very \u2014 calming,\u201d Mitchell said, pausing to find the right word to describe what it\u2019s like sharing the court with Harden. \u201cIt allows me to defer…allows me to be my natural self while also still being the playmaker…and for me to have a guy like that, just to be able to steady the ship as well, I think is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible that the steadying, calming presence that Harden provides will be exactly the thing that Cleveland and Mitchell need. It\u2019s possible that the Cavaliers will head into the postseason ready to play their best basketball, believing that this group can get it done.<\/p>\n

But, it\u2019s also possible that it\u2019s still not meant to be, that Mitchell will still fall short, again, of making it past the second round. It\u2019s hard to predict and these things are always clearer with hindsight.<\/p>\n

Back in 2021, Mitchell truly believed the Jazz were ready. Looking back now, like he said, it\u2019s tough. But he\u2019s not dwelling on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year, Donovan Mitchell will make his 9th playoff appearance. Despite having been to the playoffs nine times,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":689509,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3772],"tags":[7,306,305,193,3846,6,1111],"class_list":{"0":"post-689508","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-cavaliers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-cavaliers","10":"tag-cleveland","11":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","12":"tag-clevelandcavaliers","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-news-feed-local"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116322722111783183","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=689508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/689509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=689508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=689508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=689508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}