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First-year sensation Donovan Mitchell brought part of the Slam Dunk Contest into Game 2, showing out a spike-down put-back dunk after getting his own rebound. The Utah Jazz rookie shooting guard missed a floater short, only to snatch his own board and throw it down over three Houston Rockets defenders.
Donovan Mitchell brought the dunk contest to the playoffs 😳 pic.twitter.com/Jy6KJX5Gfm
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 3, 2018
“To be honest with you, I was just trying to shoot a floater and grab a rebound, but I just happened to be up there,” Mitchell said after the Jazz evened their Western Conference semifinal series with a 116-108 win in Game 2, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. “So I figured, why not come down with it?”
Mitchell stands at only 6-foot-3, yet he dunked over a 6-foot-7 P.J. Tucker, a 6-foot-8 Trevor Ariza, and center Clint Capela, who measures at 6-foot-9.
While his second jump ability could likely compare to the likes of Andre Drummond, Draymond Green, and the iconic Shawn Marion, Mitchell was greatly aided by his 7-foot wingspan, allowing him to extend and ruthlessly throw down over the opposition.
Mitchell struggled from the field, shooting only 6-of-21 from the field, but this dunk was enough to have spectators at the Toyota Center stand up with excitement.
“That was my first one really on [national] TV,” Mitchell said. “I had a few like that, but that was pretty cool in the playoffs to be able to do that.”
But let's not forget that Mitchell is still a rookie, and the veteran hazing won't stop, even if it comes after a crucial playoff win to even the series at 1-1.
“His mid-air decision should have been to get back on transition defense,” said forward Joe Ingles, who led the team with a career-high 27 points. “Guarantee you that's in the film session tomorrow… I don't know what his mid-air decision was because I've never been in that situation. And I never will be. But yeah, just get back in transition defense. That's all he needs to know.”
