Donovan Mitchell on Playoff Free Throws: “I Don’t Flop, Maybe That’s Why”

Asked to pinpoint Tuesday night why he wasn't getting to the free throw line during the playoffs as much as he was during the regular season, Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell offered up, "I don't flop, maybe that's why."

Mitchell scored 23 points in Cleveland's 111-101 loss to the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their second-round series, ending his NBA-record streak of scoring 30-plus points in nine straight series openers. He went to the free throw line twice against the Pistons, after making 16 trips total during Cleveland's seven-game series against Toronto in the first round.

During the regular season, Mitchell averaged 6.1 free throw attempts per game.

"I'm just not getting the calls. I don't know why. I don't flop, maybe that's why," Mitchell said Tuesday. "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."

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was asked the same question about Mitchell not getting foul calls at his usual rate, 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, compared to 35 for the Pistons. That being said, Mitchell was quick to point out, "The free throw disparity is not why we lost tonight."

The Pistons forced 20 turnovers that led to 31 points in a strong performance against Cleveland's potent backcourt of Mitchell and James Harden .

Harden himself committed seven turnovers and pointed the blame at himself.

"You look within first," he said. "Look at my turnovers and a lot of them are just on me and nothing they did."

During his postgame availability with reporters, Mitchell also noted that a friend of his "got fined for talking about flopping."

Mitchell did not specify the friend in question. Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for public criticism of the officiating during a recent livestream, which included him making pointed remarks about Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid doing the type of flopping that has "ruined our game."

"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. You know what I mean?" Mitchell said. "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."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48690898/cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-not-getting-foul-calls-playoffs-flop-maybe-why)._