Cavaliers Notes: Game 6, Mitchell, Harden, Mobley

The Cavaliers are trying to quickly move on from a heartbreaking Game 6 loss in Toronto, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The shorthanded Raptors outplayed the Cavs through three quarters on Friday, but Cleveland clawed its way back from a double-digit deficit to force overtime and briefly held a couple of leads with less than a minute left in the extra period before RJ Barrett hit a high-bouncing game-winner.

“The first thing I said when we came in here, we’ve just got to protect home court,” Donovan Mitchell explained late Friday night following the 112-110 overtime loss. “If I sit here and continue to sulk about that shot, then we’re not preparing for what’s coming forward. That shot happened. It’s over. They won. Cool. We’ve got to protect home court. Simple as that.”

The Cavs have the most expensive roster in the league and major changes could be in store if they have another early playoff exit, Fedor notes. Still, history is on their side, as the home team has won every game so far in the first-round matchup and Toronto has never won in Cleveland during the playoffs (0-10 all time).

“Just one game at home,” James Harden said. “We don’t really look at it as a Game 7. You get an opportunity to go out there and play at home and win a game.”

Here’s more on the Cavs ahead of Sunday evening’s Game 7:

• Cleveland had “no business” losing Game 6 to a less talented team playing without injured starters Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, who points out that Mitchell and Harden have had an uneven first series together. Mitchell got off to a strong start in the first two games but has struggled since, while Harden has been turning the ball over at an alarming rate (5.7 per game) throughout the series due to Toronto’s ball pressure. “I don’t think Donovan, offensively, played well. I didn’t play well,” Harden said. “I don’t think it’s about that. The best players and stars aren’t going to score 30 every game. I think for us, it’s doing the things that’s necessary for us to win.”
• Big man Evan Mobley believes the officials missed a key call late in overtime, when Collin Murray-Boyles poked the ball away from and off Mobley, forcing a turnover that led to Barrett’s game-winning shot, per Fedor. However, the one-time All-Star isn’t dwelling on the past. “We’ve got one game that we’ve got to win, and it’s at home,” Mobley said. “This is what we fought early in the season [for], to get home court advantage. Ball is in our court, and we’ve just got to come together and produce and come out with a win.”
• In an interesting feature story for The Athletic, Mirin Fader details how Mitchell’s relentless work ethic and team-first attitude have left a lasting positive impression in Cleveland as he looks to make the first deep playoff run of his career. “Almost every game he’s saying something about what he needs to do better,” Sam Merrill said. “Any time he’s trying to get after the whole team he always turns to himself. It’s like, ‘Dude. You’re the face of the franchise. It’s OK to just yell at us occasionally,’ but that’s just the kind of person he is.”