Although the Cleveland Cavaliers secured a nail-biting 121-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks, one that had plenty of theatrics at the end, this game proved to be just another day in the office for Donovan Mitchell. In 38 minutes of action, Mitchell had 31 points on 55.0% shooting to go with seven rebounds, six assists, and a block. Those six assists created 17 additional points for Cleveland, so, in total, Mitchell was responsible for 39.7% of all the points scored by the Cavs.

Of course, this includes the timely passes to Max Strus on the perimeter in the closing moments of the fourth quarter.

Games like the performance he had against the Mavericks have become what's expected of Mitchell every night. It is what makes him the undisputed Most Valuable Player on the Cavs' roster. But, in the grand scheme of everything going on every night in the NBA, Mitchell's heroics can go unnoticed, keeping him out of the NBA MVP conversations everyone likes to have around this time of the season. That subject has been a touchy matter for a while now, with Mitchell even going on record to say he should be in the NBA MVP conversation.

JB Bickerstaff's MVP endorsement for Donovan Mitchell

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J. B. Bickerstaff and guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talk in the third quarter of game one of the 2023 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

However, when watching Mitchell go shot for shot with Mavs superstar Luka Doncic, who is a top-five NBA MVP candidate right now, plus coming out on top in the game, the argument for the Cavs star being a serious MVP candidate becomes even more realistic. For those who know him best, Mitchell has been one of the league's most valuable players for quite some time.

“He should be an MVP candidate because of his impact on winning at a high level,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told ClutchPoints. “To me, that's what the MVP should be about. It's guys who impact winning at the highest level. And how do you argue that's not him? It's not that difficult.”

To Bickerstaff's point, this win over Dallas wouldn't have been possible for Cleveland without Mitchell donning the Wine and Gold, especially with the damage Doncic was doing offensively. In a losing effort, Doncic finished the game just shy of a triple-double, registering 45 points, 14 assists, and nine rebounds. His playmaking led to 30 additional points for the Mavericks. Doncic was dominant against the Cavs, but it was all a fool's errand because it didn't get what Dallas needed the most — a win.

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While his statistics aren't as flashy as those of Doncic, Mitchell's dominance on the court was the central factor in the Cavs stealing a win. In the closing moments, Cleveland was down 110-100, with all hope of pulling out a victory slipping away. That is when Mitchell, along with some red-hot shooting from Strus, stepped up and found a way to will the Cavs, once again, to a win.

“I mean, he just continues to boost our confidence and create a belief in what we're doing,” said Bickerstaff. “That, to me is what, you know, speaks volumes. We were down and very easily could have pitched our tent and got ready to go to Chicago tomorrow. There was a lot of things down the stretch that they had to overcome that didn't have to do with just basketball.”

It can be easy to understate how great Mitchell has been for the Cavs this season, especially when he never makes any win about himself, rather focusing on the overall team's success. It makes him endearing to any locker room he's been a part of, especially Cleveland's. Regardless of whether or not Mitchell wants to let everyone know he should be the league's MVP, he should simply be a part of the main discussion at this point.