From Fedor's latest column:
About three weeks ago, Mitchell went into playoff mode. As part of that shift, he eliminated Twitter -- except for the customary #LetEmKnow tweet before every game that he now has his assistant send out on his behalf. Social-media darkness is something Mitchell introduced this year. It’s what his idol LeBron has done in the past, referring to it as Zero Dark 23.
“I’ve got to be the best player I can for this team and that’s something I started to do,” Mitchell explained. “Just continuing to find different ways to ease your mind and put yourself in that zone to be ready to go. Don’t need to see it. At the end of the day, it’s about the locker room. Everything else is external. No need to be on it. I wouldn’t say it’s just like following LeBron’s footsteps. But I get it. I get why he did it and why he does it. You don’t need that external noise. Gotta do what you do. Gotta lead these guys and be ready for these meaningful games.”
I love it. He's like a warrior preparing himself for the final battle - no distractions, just focus on preparation. It's showing up in his play - four consecutive 40+ games, the first player in six years to accomplish that.
I can't wait to see the playoff version.
Mitchell is so quick, strong, and savvy that he can get into the paint at will. At that point he can finish at the rim with either hand, draw a foul, or hit a deadly floater. If he gets walled off from the bucket and has to pick up the ball he even has a nice fallaway that he can hit over a big. Even on a missed shot he draws the defense and opens up putbacks like the one Allen had in crunch time last night.
I see Donovan's usage rate increasing in the playoffs. The problem is that he will draw double-teams which will force him to pass to the corners for 3's by Okoro, Stevens, Wade, and maybe Cedi. I don't think we can beat the big boys doing that.
