Mitchell wasn’t accurate in his criticism of the refs

“The refereeing has been so inconsistent, especially against us.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a perfect record on the court, but according to Donovan Mitchell that’s despite not getting the calls he thinks they deserve on the court. He didn’t mince words during his postgame media availability after the win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Mitchell said:

We’re driving the basketball. We’re second in the league in drives per game and we’re not getting any foul calls.

I think I’ve been quiet about it for a long time. Tonight, I almost lost my mind. [Darius Garland] had no free throws tonight. I had four, finally, six at the end of the game. For us to be able to be able to drive and to be the team that we are, to get no fouls calls, I think is crazy.

The refereeing has been so inconsistent, especially against us. I know we’re 9-0, but at the end of the day at some point in time we’re driving to the basket and guys . . . I’m just like man, it’s not even just myself, it’s as a collective. Evan Mobley comes down there on the alley-oop and almost rolls his ankle. There’s no foul called. [If] Evan rolls his ankle, he’s out.

I’m just saying, there’s no consistency. We’re playing against teams and guys are going out there getting tic-tack fouls. We play the Lakers, it’s 33-8. Tonight, I don’t even know when the first foul was called in the second half. So for me, at some point we need some consistency on their end.

I’m proud of the way we were fighting through it. I told my guys I was the one that was going to say something about it. ‘Don’t even complain.’ But it’s getting out of hand. It’s getting crazy. So I think that’s something that really needs to tighten up, because, I’m probably gonna get fined for that, but it’s outrageous.

The Cavs have the lowest free-throw rate in the league despite being 11th in attempts at the rim. Both of these would back up Mitchell’s point. But I do think those stats are misleading.

Great spacing can lead to fewer foul calls. Many times fouls are committed when multiple defenders contest or help on a shot. This is backed up by the other teams that are in the bottom five in free-throw rate which include the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, and New York Knicks. All three of those teams have great spacing principles.

Mitchell would know better than someone watching from afar, but I do think the fewer fouls are more a byproduct of the team having better spacing principles as opposed to them just getting bad calls from referees. The Cavaliers have been able to generate very clean looks from three and inside the arc. As a result, they’re finishing 68.7% of their attempts at the rim and have the best effective field goal percentage in the league (60.9%).

Mitchell is right for standing up for his teammates and his opinion on this is valid. That doesn’t mean that’s exactly what’s happening.

Either way, this hasn’t affected the Cavs in the standings and hasn’t stood out as being an issue from the outside. They’re playing their best offensive basketball in nearly a decade. Still, it’s something to keep an eye on as the season progresses. It’s clear that the Cavs feel that they are being wronged here.