BOSTON (AP) — This one wasn’t about their perfect season or a 15-game winning streak or even the NBA Cup.
This was a chance for the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers to see where they stood against the defending champions.
“This was a great test for us, and unfortunately we didn’t get the win,” said Donovan Mitchell, whose 35 points couldn’t prevent the Cavaliers from picking up their first loss of the season, 120-117 to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
“It’s definitely a measuring stick,” said Mitchell, who scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, including 14 straight Cleveland points in the final four minutes. You want to see where you’re at, but not hold too much weight on it. ... We’re not going to be the same team now that we are in April.”
The Celtics won an unprecedented 18th championship last spring -- rolling over the Cavaliers in five games in the Eastern Conference semis – and entered the season as the favorites to repeat, or at least make it back to the NBA Finals. Cleveland, which won a playoff series last year for the first time since LeBron James left the second time in 2018, wasn’t expected to be a contender.
But it was the Cavaliers who shot to the top of the standings this fall, with a franchise-record 15-game winning streak that left them as the last unbeaten team in the league. Coach Kenny Atkinson was the first NBA coach ever to win his first 15 games with a new team.
“You want to be a part of history in that regard. But it’s a thing of the past. It’s over with. And, you know, it was a good run,” Mitchell said. “It was fun. When you’re playing basketball, good basketball, and obviously winning games -- whether it’s blowouts, close games, come-from-behind wins -- you enjoy these moments.
“It’s great to be part of history. We wish we had kept it going,” he said. “But, like I said, there’s no championships in November.”