The Detroit Pistons have taken a 1-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 111-101 win at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday. The free-throw disparity was a talking point in this game, and the trend of Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell barely getting to the line this postseason continued here.
Mitchell went just 1-2 on free throws in Game 1 and was asked postgame why he thinks his trips to the charity stripe have reduced drastically compared to the regular season.
“I want to separate this from the game,” Mitchell said, via the Cavaliers. “The free throw disparity is not why we lost tonight. I want to make sure I say that, but I don’t know. I’m trying to get downhill, and a friend of mine got fined for talking about flops. So, I’m not going to try to double down. But, I mean, I feel that’s what I got to do at this point.”
Mitchell was, of course, referring to Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown there. The NBA announced on Tuesday that Brown had been slapped with a $50,000 fine for public criticism of the officials on his Twitch livestream on Sunday.
Following the Celtics’ Game 7 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, Brown called out Joel Embiid for flopping. He said the officials rewarded Embiid for his flops and added that this is just what the NBA is now.
Then the next day on his stream, Brown called out Embiid again and claimed the officials have admitted to having an agenda against him. The first callout itself could have landed him trouble. It didn’t, but the second one did.
Mitchell doesn’t want to go down this route, but is feeling like he might have to. The 29-year-old averaged 6.1 free throw attempts per game in the regular season, but is at just 2.3 per game in the playoffs.
Mitchell shot just 16 free throws in the seven-game series against the Toronto Raptors in the first round. The seven-time All-Star is on a similar pace in this series against the Pistons, and can’t understand why.
“I’m trying to get downhill, trying to get to the bucket, and sometimes people in my way, and I’m trying to fight through contact, and I’m not getting these calls,” Mitchell stated. “You said I had what, like 13 in the last series… I mean, I’m just not getting the calls. I don’t know why. I don’t flop, maybe that’s why. And this isn’t just a tonight thing.
“This has been the entire series, and it’s frustrating a little bit, ’cause I’m such a dynamic driver,” Mitchell continued. “But I can’t control that. So, if they’re not going to call for me, I got to find a way to finish through that. But you know me, I’m never one to sit here and complain, and that’s not why we lost the game tonight or whatever.
“But at some point in time, I feel like me getting to the basket’s got to relate to something,” Mitchell added. “So, we’ll see.”
Mitchell is averaging 11.8 drives per game in the playoffs, which ranks 21st. That’s not too high, but should result in some more free throws.
We’ll see if these comments lead to Mitchell, who had 23 points (9-19 FG), four rebounds, two assists, and one steal in Game 1, making more trips to the line the rest of the way. The Cavaliers, as a team, would like some more, too. They shot 16 free throws in the opener, compared to 35 for the Pistons. It’s hard to overcome that.
Game 2 will tip off at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
