Cavaliers' Mitchell blames lack of flopping for missing free throws in playoffs 2026

Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points but the Cavaliers lost Game 1 after Detroit forced 20 turnovers, while he criticized officials for not calling fouls on his drives.

Mitchell's frustration over foul calls When asked why he wasn’t getting to the free-throw line as often in the playoffs as during the regular season, Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell responded, "I don’t flop, maybe that’s why." He finished with 23 points in the Cavaliers' 111-101 loss to Detroit in Game 1 of their second-round series, ending his NBA record of scoring 30 or more points in nine straight series openers. Mitchell only attempted two free throws against the Pistons, compared to 16 in the first-round series against Toronto. During the regular season, he averaged 6.1 free-throw attempts per game. ## Mitchell's comments on officiating "I'm just not getting the calls. I don't know why. I don't flop, maybe that's why," Mitchell said after the game. "And this isn't just a tonight thing. This has been the entire series, and it's frustrating a little bit, but because I'm such a dynamic driver, right? But I can't control that. So if they're not gonna call it for me, I gotta find a way to finish and do that." He also noted that a friend of his "got fined for talking about flopping." ## Coach's take on free-throw drought Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson was asked the same question about Mitchell’s lack of foul calls, replying, "I'm just going to continue to plead with him to get to the paint, get to the rim. That's all you can do. That's all you control. You know, we just got to keep driving the ball. You meet aggressiveness with aggressiveness, and then we got to make the right reads. So keep getting to the paint. It'll turn. It usually does with the free throws." For the game, the Cavaliers had 16 free-throw attempts, while the Pistons had 35. ## Pistons dominate with turnovers The Pistons forced 20 turnovers that led to 31 points, capitalizing on Cleveland’s strong backcourt duo of Mitchell and James Harden. Harden himself committed seven turnovers and placed the blame on himself. "You look within first," he said. "Look at my turnovers and a lot of them are just on me and nothing they did." ## Mitchell's remarks on flopping fines Mitchell did not name the friend who was fined but referenced the situation during his postgame interview. Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for public criticism of officiating during a livestream, including comments about Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid engaging in flopping. "I'm not gonna try to double down, but I mean, like, I feel like that's what I got to do at this point," Mitchell said. "You know what I mean? Like I'm trying to get downhill, trying to get to the bucket, and sometimes my people are in my way and I'm trying to fight through contact and I'm not getting these calls."