Cavs rally around Donovan Mitchell for historic Game 7 comeback victory vs Magic | Ulrich

CLEVELAND — Cavaliers fans saw a large, grotesque mass floating down the Cuyahoga River and declared Donovan Mitchell's supporting cast dead in the water.

On the heels of Mitchell going off in a Game 6 road loss for 50 points, including all of Cleveland's 18 in the fourth quarter, the Cavs trailed the Orlando Magic by 18 points during the second quarter of a do-or-die Game 7 on Sunday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

As spectacular as Mitchell has been in two seasons with the Cavs and these playoffs — his 89 combined points were second most in NBA history in Games 6 and 7 — he was correct when he told the Beacon Journal days before the postseason began, “I can't do it all by myself.”

The context of the statement is important. Mitchell uttered those words when he was asked about using his platform throughout this season to uplift his teammates and boost their confidence.

Mitchell is the undisputed leader of the Cavs, but the bottom line is he can't do it all by himself. Cavs players not named Mitchell were a no-show when it mattered most in Game 6, and many of them used the majority of the first half of Game 7 to pull off disappearing acts as an encore.

On the line for the Cavs? J.B. Bickerstaff and Donovan Mitchell's futures in Cleveland

With the season and future of J.B. Bickerstaff as Cavs coach on the line and Mitchell's unresolved contractual situation hanging over the franchise, Mitchell received the help he desperately needed.

It allowed the fourth-seeded Cavs to prevail 106-94 in Game 7 and 4-3 in their first-round best-of-seven series with the fifth-seeded Magic, atoning for last year's 4-1 flop against the New York Knicks in the opening round. Cleveland advanced to face the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which will begin with Game 1 on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

The Cavs are moving on because they won a postseason series for the first time since 2018 and the first time without LeBron James on the roster since 1993.

“How long? Since the early '90s? I was born in 2001,” Cavs forward Isaac Okoro quipped.

How the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for historic comeback in Game 7

After guard Gary Harris made a 3-pointer to give the Magic a 47-29 lead with 4:48 left in the second quarter, the Cavs showed life. Guard Sam Merrill made two free throws, Okoro hit a layup and guard Caris LeVert drove for two more to aid Mitchell in cutting the Cavs' deficit to 53-43 at halftime.

Then the Cavs dominated the Magic early in the second half and outscored them 33-15 in the third quarter. They led 76-68 entering the fourth quarter. Their advantage never shrunk to fewer than six points in the final quarter.

When the dust settled, Cavs had captured the largest comeback victory in a Game 7 since the NBA began tracking play-by-play statistics during the 1997-98 season.

The Cavs couldn't have done it without Mitchell, who scored a game-high 39 points on 11-of-27 shooting from the floor (2 of 8 on 3-pointers), grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists in 45 minutes despite a left knee bone bruise slowing him more often than not since mid-February.

At the same time, the Cavs couldn't have done it without Mitchell being adequately backed by reinforcements. Game 6 is exhibit A in a collection of overwhelming evidence.

This time, the Cavs fought when the going got tough.

The Cavs defeated the Magic in best-of-seven series despite Jarrett Allen injury

The craziest part is Cavs starting center Jarrett Allen wasn't available to provide Mitchell with legitimate sidekick production. Allen missed the final three games of the series with a rib contusion.

Others needed to rise to the occasion of a pressure-packed Game 7.

Merrill had eight points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field (both attempts were 3-pointers). He didn't play in Games 2 or 6. His only points through the first six games of the series came when he had nine in a Game 3 blowout loss.

Okoro started at power forward because Evan Mobley shifted to center with Allen sidelined. Coming off four points in Game 6, Okoro scored eight in Game 7 on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and finished with the best plus-minus differential on either team. The Cavs outscored the Magic by 24 points with Okoro on the floor, a testament to his defense.

“That's my role,” Okoro said. “I know it's win or go home, so I was going to do anything it took to win this game.”

LeVert came off the bench and scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, giving him Cleveland's second-highest scoring total in Game 7. He had produced just one point in Game 6, three in Game 5 and five in Game 4.

Donovan Mitchell said the Cavs would not have defeated the Magic in Game 7 if Sam Merrill, Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert hadn't stepped up

Merrill, Okoro and LeVert did their best Lazarus impressions just in time.

“We don't win that game without them playing the way they played and their contributions,” Mitchell said. “That's what we needed from them, and they were huge for us.”

Mobley produced 11 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots after suffering an ankle injury in the first half of Game 6 and finishing the 103-96 loss with merely three points and six rebounds.

Small forward Max Strus scored 13 points, including 11 as the Cavs seized control in the third quarter, and point guard Darius Garland added 12 points, including 10 during closing time in the fourth quarter.

Max Strus said Cavs didn't splinter while facing a huge deficit vs the Magic because 'we love each other'

The Cavs could have pointed fingers and lost composure when they encountered an 18-point deficit. Instead, they stuck together and emerged from halftime even more determined.

“We love each other,” Strus said. “We love playing, and we want to keep going. We knew that the first round was not just a success for us. That would've been a failure.”

Meanwhile, the Magic didn't provide their All Star with what he needed to survive the opening round. Forward Paolo Banchero scored 38 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Game 7, but Orlando had just two other players score in double figures. Center Wendell Carter Jr. scored 13 points and guard Jalen Suggs added 10 points.

Cavs defeat Magic in Game 7: How the Cavaliers pulled off a historic comeback in the final game of their first-round NBA playoff series

First-round success doesn't guarantee Mitchell will be sold on the Cavs providing the right situation for him to achieve his championship goals in the coming years. It certainly ought to strengthen Cleveland's case, though, as Mitchell contemplates whether he'll sign a contract extension in the offseason. A September 2022 trade acquisition from the Utah Jazz, Mitchell is under contract with the Cavs for next season and has a $37 million player option for 2025-26.

Mitchell made it clear he isn't satisfied. He has been to the playoffs in each of his seven NBA seasons, but he has yet to advance beyond the second round.

“When they traded for me, it wasn't just to win a first-round series,” he said.

The Cavs will be massive underdogs against the Celtics, and they have been too inconsistent this season to be considered a bona fide title contender.

Could they eventually reach the status with Mitchell? If Mitchell squints, perhaps he can see it, provided some changes are made and development materializes. He wouldn't have been able to envision it if help hadn't arrived and the Cavs had been knocked out by the Magic.

Cavs vs. Celtics: Schedule for Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 1 is Tuesday

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Donovan Mitchell's historic series helped save the Cavs' playoff run