Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell wasn't too pleased that he missed out on making the All-NBA First team on Wednesday night.
The NBA playoffs continued on Wednesday night with two Game 5's, as the New York Knicks looked to stave off elimination by the Miami Heat, while the Los Angeles Lakers looked to close out the Golden State Warriors. But prior to tipoff of Knicks vs. Heat, the league officially announced the All-NBA teams (first, second and third). As always, this is always up for debate as to who deserved a First Team slot more.
Cleveland Cavaliers fans are certainly asking that.
Point guard Donovan Mitchell, who had a strong first year with his new team after his trade off of the Utah Jazz was named to the second team, alongside the likes of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Heat forward Jimmy Butler.
As for the First team, it consists of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
It appears that Mitchell caught wind of the news, as he tweeted out "FOH lol."
Donovan Mitchell reacts to All-NBA first team snub
For those wondering what the voting looked like, here are the results between Mitchell, Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander, per NBA.com. First team votes are worth five points, second team votes are worth two points and third team votes are worth one point.
- Donovan Mitchell: 45 first team votes, 36 second team votes, 16 third team votes = 349 total points
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 63 first team votes, 29 second team votes, five third team votes = 407 total points
- Luka Doncic: 60 first team votes, 33 second team votes, four third team votes = 403 total points
With the Jazz rebuilding, Mitchell was a hot commodity on the trade block this offseason. While being linked to the Knicks, it was the Cavaliers who swooped in, trading Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Ajgbaji, a first-round pick in 2025, 2027 and 2029 and pick swaps in 2026 and 2028.
In his first year with the Cavaliers, he marked career highs in points scored per game (28.3), field goal percentage (48.4) and three point percentage (38.6, tied with 2020-21 season). Mitchell helped the Cavaliers make it to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season, where they lost in four games to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals. It was also the final year the team had LeBron James on the roster.
But in the playoffs, the Cavaliers lost to the Knicks in five games in the first round. Mitchell averaged 23.2 points, 7.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds while recording a 43.3 field goal percentage and a 28.9 three-point percentage.
Despite a strong first season, Mitchell misses out on the All-NBA first team.
