Cleveland Cavaliers fans should be thrilled after landing Donovan Mitchell.
The former Utah Jazz star put the team on his shoulders to lead them to a huge overtime win over the Chicago Bulls, having one of the greatest performances ever in the meantime.
Spida finished the night with 71 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, proving again to be one of the most explosive scorers in the Association.
In fact, both Kevin Love and coach JB Bickerstaff couldn’t believe their eyes after the game:
“In my 15 years, that’s the best performance I’ve ever seen,” the veteran power forward said.
Kevin Love: “In my 15 years, that’s the best performance I’ve ever seen.”
— Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) January 3, 2023
“We were treated tonight to one of the greatest performances in the history of the game. Every single play that he made was a play that was necessary,” coach Bickerstaff said.“Donovan has never put himself above the team, so how can you not root for a guy like that? I told everyone else to get out of the way.”
And truth be told, those statements aren’t far-fetched at all.
According to stats-tracking portal Basketball Reference, Donovan Mitchell actually had the third-best performance in NBA history in terms of Game Score, trailing just Michael Jordan and his 69 points against the Cavs and Kobe Bryant‘s 81-point game vs. the Raptors:
1. Michael Jordan – 64.60
2. Kobe Bryant – 63.50
3. Donovan Mitchell – 60.80
Mitchell had already shown glimpses of this unprecedented scoring ability, especially in the playoffs.
Notably, he didn’t even need a full season to record the highest-scoring effort in franchise history, as not even LeBron James reached the 71-point mark during his days in Cleveland.
NEXT: Cavs Coach Has Strong Statement About Donovan Mitchell's Big Night