Kenny Atkinson Heaps Praise on Donovan Mitchell After Game 7 Win

The No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals with a dominant Game 7 victory over the No. 1 seed Pistons at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on Sunday night.

The Cavaliers were led to victory by an impressive performance from veteran guard Donovan Mitchell, who finished the 125-94 win with a game-high 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Cleveland’s head coach Kenny Atkinson made sure to recognize Mitchell’s importance during his postgame locker-room speech.

"I was gonna do this whether we won or whether we lost,” Atkinson said. “We turn to you [Donovan Mitchell]. Not just your on court [play], but your leadership. Your positivity when things are really not going great.

“We never celebrate you in these things - you don't want the praise. But tonight, you deserve the praise. You're going home and you deserve this more than everybody. Everybody played great."

Mitchell was born and raised in New York, and will now return home to face off against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

"Enjoy it, but we didn't just come here just to do this,” Mitchell said. “Enjoy it and we go from there."

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Mitchell was supported by some stellar play from center Jarrett Allen and sharpshooter Sam Merrill, both of whom finished the closeout game with 23 points.

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Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals series between the Cavaliers and Knicks will tipoff at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 11:27 AM.