Donovan Mitchell Reacts to Making His 1st NBA Conference Finals with Cavs, 'A Breath of Fresh Air'

Donovan Mitchell checked off a career milestone on Sunday night, reaching his first-ever conference finals after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 125-94 win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

"A breath of fresh air," Mitchell told reporters when asked about crossing that achievement off the list. "But this wasn't the goal when we started the season. Even last year I said, when we lost to Indiana, we had our goals set on getting to the NBA Finals. And we're just one step closer. But yeah, it's been almost a decade of running into the same issue. So sure, I personally and as a team, we can breathe a little bit. But on the same token, we can only breathe for about 12 hours and then get right back to it. So it's a balance, it's a blessing."

Cleveland moving on is due in large part to Mitchell's brilliance.

The 29-year-old was fantastic in Game 7, putting up 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds without a single turnover. For the series he averaged 28.1 points, including massive efforts in Game 3 (35 points, 10 rebounds) and Game 4 (43 points, including 39 in the second half) that helped the Cavs claw back in the series after falling in a 2-0 hole.

Cavs' head coach Kenny Atkinson was quick to credit Mitchell for his efforts on both Sunday night and throughout the entire season:

Atkinson expressed a similar message in the locker room, in front of the team:

That sets up an intriguing Eastern Conference Finals showdown against the New York Knicks.

For Mitchell and James Harden, the hope is to reach the first NBA Finals of their career. Ditto for players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby in New York. The Knicks haven't reached the NBA Finals as an organization since the 1998-99 season and haven't won a title since the 1972-73 campaign.

So there's plenty on the line starting Tuesday night. But Mitchell is certainly playing like a man on a mission.