Like every NBA fan, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell is excited about the playoffs. Mitchell joined the Cavaliers after a blockbuster deal with the Utah Jazz. The Cavs gave up a lot to acquire the four-time NBA All-Star, and it has worked out great so far. The team has clinched a playoff berth for the first time since LeBron James left. The fourth-seeded Cavs will face the fifth-seeded New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. Ahead of the matchup, a Knicks star has added fuel to the rivalry with his comments.
Interestingly, Mitchell was very close to joining the Knicks himself, but a deal did not materialize. At the time, a Knicks executive expressed his frustration about the demands of the Jazz which collapsed the deal. Also, Spida was open about his desire to play for the Knicks as well.
Josh Hart was not a fan of the Donovan Mitchell hype video
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Donovan Mitchell is very active on social media like a lot of current NBA players. As the regular season drew to a close, Mitchell shared a hype video on Instagram with some of his highlights from the season. In the caption, he expressed his excitement about round one of the playoffs. Notably, the video had some highlights of Mitchell against the New York Knicks.
Josh Hart did not take it lightly. The Knicks star commented, “Fu** You,” in the post, and a lot of Knicks fans made their presence felt in the comments as well.
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Interestingly, Hart is a very close friend of Mitchell and the two are gaming buddies. This also comes after Hart’s earlier comments about how excited he was to play against Mitchell in the playoffs.
According to a report from NY Post, Hart said, “It?s exciting because that?s someone I?ve known for the last seven years. Someone who I?ve watched grow in the league. Someone who has a great personality, a high character kid. So, it?ll be fun.”
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He even talked about having the same barber, their gaming matchups and their trash talks. So, his comment on Instagram could be just friendly banter between the two, after all. However, the playoffs are a place where there are no friendships!
Donovan Mitchell’s desire to play for the Knicks
Donovan Mitchell could have easily ended up as Josh Hart’s teammate had the deal between the Jazz and the Knicks gone through. Mitchell was born in Elmsford, New York and his mother still lives in the city. Spida had thought he was heading to New York, and he was open about it even after joining the Cavaliers.
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He admitted that he was looking forward to living close to his mother in his hometown. So, it will be interesting to see how the 2018 Slam Dunk champion performs against the Knicks in the first round.
WATCH THIS STORY –?After a 71-point heroic performance, Donovan Mitchell joins an elite 3-man list.