Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz were firmly in the driver’s seat after taking a 2-0 lead over the Clippers in their second-round playoff series. But after that, the wheels fell off for the No. 1 seed in the West.
Dropping four straight games to Los Angeles, the Jazz have now been eliminated from the 2021 postseason.
Speaking to reporters after the last night’s 131-119 loss, Mitchell gave his reaction to the blown series lead.
“It hasn’t fully sunk in for me yet. I’m still in shock. … I don’t know what I’m going to be doing next week,” the two-time NBA All Star said, per Jazz insider Eric Walden. “Probably watching the games, mad as hell. This hurts more than last year. This is gonna eat at me for a long time.”
Donovan Mitchell: “It hasn’t fully sunk in for me yet. I’m still in shock. … I don’t know what I’m going to be doing next week. Probably watching the games, mad as hell. This hurts more than last year. This is gonna eat at me for a long time.”
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) June 19, 2021
While his team was unable to get the job done, Mitchell certainly did his part. The star shooting guard averaged a staggering 34.8 points per game (including a stunning 45-point performance in Game 1) — despite battling through a nagging ankle injury. Fighting elimination last night, the former No. 13 overall pick posted an impressive near triple-double with 39 points, nine assist and nine rebounds.
This series loss marks the second season in a row that Mitchell and the Jazz have blown a two-game lead. In last year’s playoff bubble, Utah held a 3-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets before dropping the next three games straight.
This has to hurt for Mitchell.
Through four playoff attempts in his four-year NBA career, he’s failed to lead his team past the second round each time. And with a league-best 52-20 regular-season record this year, 2021 seemed like his best opportunity to get over that Western Conference Finals hump.
Overcoming their second 2-0 deficit in this year’s playoffs, the Clippers will go on to face the Phoenix Suns in the WCF.
The post Donovan Mitchell Has Honest Reaction To Blown Lead vs. Clippers appeared first on The Spun.
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