“I think it’s frustrating” - Donovan Mitchell weighs in on Game 1’s 25-point beatdown to Celtics 

The Cleveland Cavaliers, with Donovan Mitchell at the helm, were defeated by the Boston Celtics, 120-95 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden.

Coming off an emotional Game 7 victory over the Orlando Magic just two days earlier, Cleveland quickly fell behind and struggled with their shooting. Meanwhile, Boston's deep roster consistently attacked from every angle.

Mitchell spoke to the media during the post-game presser and expressed his insight from the 25-point beatdown:

"It's who they are, they got different guys that can go and they have shown us that this isn't like a shock, a deflating thing because if it's not JT [Jayson Tatum] it could be JB [ Jaylen Brown], could be Al [ Al Horford], D White [Derrick White], could be Jrue Holiday, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard."

He continued:

"They've shown it all season, I dont think it's deflating, I think its frustrating."

Throughout most of Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics couldn't quite manage to put the Cavaliers out of reach. However, Cleveland also struggled to turn the game competitive, and eventually, the situation deteriorated.

Donovan Mitchell's 33 points not enough to lead Cleveland Cavaliers on the road vs Boston Celtics

Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, but he was the sole bright spot for the Cavaliers' offense on the night. Their struggles from the Orlando series persisted into the second round, marked by a poor 26.2% shooting from beyond the arc.

The absence of Jarrett Allen, who missed his fourth consecutive playoff game due to a rib injury, left Evan Mobley to handle the interior defense alone. The top-seeded Boston Celtics capitalized on this, with standout performances from Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard dominating the perimeter.

Brown contributed 32 points and six rebounds, White added 25 points and five assists while Pritchard delivered a surprising 16-point performance from the bench. Pritchard's contested 3-pointer at the close of the third quarter extended Boston's lead to 15 points, serving as the symbolic final blow.

The Celtics continued to start Al Horford as their primary big man instead of Porzingis and received a surprisingly effective performance from his backup, Luke Kornet. The 7-foot-2 reserve tied his playoff career-high in rebounds before the half, blocked two shots, disrupted shots by Mitchell and Evan Mobley with solid defense and delivered a smooth assist to Tatum for an easy layup.

Kornet also executed a powerful dunk late in the third quarter and set a new personal postseason record with 21 minutes on the court.