Donovan Mitchell Says The Cavs Are A Championship Contender, Literally Everyone Else Says Otherwise

I'll say this: I'm not sure what Donovan Mitchell is supposed to say here. If you're a competitor, you have to believe you can win. So I have no real issue with him explaining that while the rest of the world is on the Celtics, he thinks we've got a shot. Fine. I actually like that. But calling us a CONTENDER? Get the fuck outta here. I know that's not true, he knows that's not true, and the odds definitely show that's not true. Here's a couple lines for you:

- Cavs to win the NBA Championship: +150000

^ That's honestly all you need to know. There's no one on the board even half of that. And while the Cavs are one of 8 remaining teams in the NBA playoffs, the fact that they now have the same odds as the Patriots winning the Super Bowl and LeBron James starting next season with the DETROIT PISTONS is hilarious. It's simply not happening. But there's more....

- Cavs are +12.5 tonight in Game 1

- Celtics are -1800 to win the Series

- (my personal favorite) The odds show the Celtics are most likely to sweep 4-0 (+145), then win 4-1 (+205), then 4-2  (+500), then 4-3 (+750)........all before the odds you can get for the Cavs to win the series at all (+1000)

And I'm sure I'm coming off as a hater right now, but if I've said it once I've said it a million times, I will chirp when it's time to chirp. This Cavs team, that strategically set up a matchup with the Magic in the first round, and then took 89 points from Donovan Mitchell in Games 6 and 7 to survive, is not a team I'm going to chirp about. And if I do, then I lose all credibility on my Ohio State, Browns, and Guardians takes. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly locked in and cheering for the boys tonight.....but you won't catch me dead being one of these fans:

This is probably the root of all my frustration heading into this series. Cleveland should be trying to fly under the radar, sneaking up on a sleeping giant. Chanting that "We Want Boston" is direct bulletin board material to both the team and the fanbase. And now when the Celtics do to the Cavs what they're expected, Cleveland fans will look like a joke, again. Not me though, here's my official strategy for this series:

- Do not overreact with one win 

- Completely overreact if the Cavs get to two wins  

 **This plan will go out the window if we steal Game 1 tonight