“At the end of the day, we wouldn’t have gotten those free throws if you didn’t do what you do.”
It seemed that the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to steal a win over the Houston Rockets when Tari Eason committed a flagrant foul on a Darius Garland three-point attempt with three seconds left in a two-point game. Garland had three free throws and the Cavs were going to get the ball afterward. He just needed to make two to tie and three to all but officially end the game.
That didn’t seem like too big of an ask for someone hitting 87.3% of his free throws and has been one of the most efficient clutch players in the NBA this season. Instead, he missed two out of three and the Cavs lost in heartbreaking fashion.
Donovan Mitchell downplayed the missed free throws afterward.
“This was just one of those things where the ball didn’t go in,” Mitchell told reporters postgame. “It happens.”
The missed free throws weren’t the only thing that caused the Cavs to lose. Mitchell didn’t register a fourth quarter-point and missed two jumpers that would’ve likely won the game for Cleveland. Jarrett Allen also committed a late loose ball foul that resulted in Houston breaking the tie at the free-throw line. There are many places that you could shift the blame to.
That said, when you miss free throws like Garland did, that is what will ultimately be remembered. Mitchell made sure afterward that he didn’t take all the blame for the loss.
“I’d rather it now than in June,” Mitchell said when asked what he said to Garland after the game.
“At the end of the day, we wouldn’t have gotten those free throws if you didn’t do what you do. He’s been great all year, great in the fourth all year. It happens. It happens to everybody, we all miss shots. You know, I could have been better for him. There’s so many things you could point to outside of free throws.”
The Rockets are a good team and they deserve credit for the win. There were also many things—like rebounding—where the Cavs could’ve done better even though they were down three rotation players.
Despite the loss, it was a gutsy performance from the group to come back in the fourth quarter as they did. They showed that they can play at a high level against one of the best defenses in the league. They’ll get another chance to display that when they host the Rockets on Saturday in Cleveland.