The Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against the New York Knicks on Sunday night and a lot of attention was being paid to the game.
There were many reasons to watch the match but one of the biggest was the chance to see Donovan Mitchell return home to New York.
Just a few months ago, most people assumed it would be the Knicks, not the Cavaliers, who stole Mitchell away from the Utah Jazz.
Now that Mitchell is finding great success with the Cavs, Knicks fans are thinking about what could have been.
Donovan Mitchell on if there was any extra excitement or anticipation for him to play at MSG tonight after the on-again, off-again trade discussions with the Knicks this summer before he was traded to Cleveland: pic.twitter.com/PgSaeQGIY1
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) December 5, 2022
There was surely a lot of pressure for Mitchell to perform when he came back to New York on Sunday.
But it wasn’t bothering him, who opened up about any extra excitement about playing in the Big Apple.
“I think more so playing in front of my family and friends,” Mitchell said.
“What’s done is done, and I’m happy as hell to be where I’m at. At the end of the day, this decision was made and I don’t think I’ve been happier since I’ve been in the league,” he added.
Mitchell continued, “I think for me it’s always going to be motivation to come back and play well in my hometown.”
Donovan Comes Home
Mitchell grew up in New York so the idea of him playing for the Knicks just made sense.
The team sure wanted to make the deal happen but the Jazz weren’t happy with the proposed offer.
Meanwhile, they were secretly discussing a possible trade with the Cavaliers instead and that’s the deal they ended up pursuing.
Cleveland was already a promising team before Mitchell but they have improved even more since adding him.
He still loves his New York obviously but he’s happy to call Cleveland home.
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