Donovan Mitchell on seeing Coco Jones after Game 7 win: ‘I almost broke down’

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell accomplished a major career milestone on Sunday, advancing to the conference finals for the first time in his NBA career.

Mitchell had close runs with the Utah Jazz earlier in his career before coming to Cleveland, and the Cavs had back-to-back second-round exits in the 2024 and 2025 NBA Playoffs. However, Mitchell came through with a big showing in Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday to help the Cavs advance to play the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

After dropping 26 points, six rebounds and eight assists against Detroit to secure the series win, Mitchell found his fiancée Coco Jones and revealed that he “almost broke down.”

“I was so locked in when I ran into [my fiancée Coco Jones sitting in a baseline seat during Game 7],” Mitchell said, via Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “In the back of my mind, I knew it was her. But I was so locked in I was trying to come out and make a point that I didn’t even register until the timeout when I walked over and asked if she was OK because then I was like, ‘Oh s‑‑‑, I almost ran over my fiancée.’ So, I had to tell you where I was at mentally.

“I was so here and then, after the game, man, she’s special. She’s a big reason why I am where I am today in this situation where I’m playing the way I’m playing: When you have somebody that is home and just being around them, you feel like you’re at home. I think the world’s starting to see us in these moments a lot more now. But it was one of those moments where I was almost going to cry because she’s been there for me through the injuries, through the bad performances, the good performances when you do so well and still don’t get what you want, and when you do poorly and you don’t get what you want.

“This girl flew to Paris for two days and came back just to make sure she was there. When you see somebody who is equally as talented and doing her thing on her side — she came to the [Game 7 win against Toronto in Cleveland], went to the Met Gala [in New York City], and came back. To see the sacrifices that she’s making outside of my mom and my sister and my pop, I’ve never had that.

“I love that girl to death, and it’s just one of those things where she’s just home. I almost broke down, but I kept it together, But that moment, it really shows what we’re about. I was trying not to look at her the whole game just because she was starting to smile. I was like, ‘No, I’m trying to be locked in.’”

Mitchell and Jones clearly have a special relationship, and it appears that the Cavs guard has been motivated by her and all that she’s done for him.

Beating Detroit was an emotional and special moment for the Cavs star, but he and the team have to turn their focus quickly to their next series with New York. Game 1 is set for Tuesday night, less than 48 hours after the Cavs officially clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.

New York knocked the Cavs out of the playoffs in the 2022-23 season – Mitchell’s first in Cleveland – in the first round in just five games. So, there should be some motivation in Cleveland’s locker room to return the favor in this matchup.

Mitchell has put together a solid postseason for the Cavs, averaging 25.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Cleveland has thrived at home in the playoffs, winning four games at home against Toronto and two games at home against Detroit. While they’ll open this series in New York, the Cavs certainly need to handle business at home if they want to take down a Knicks team that has won seven games in a row this postseason.

No matter where the Cavs are, it’s likely that Jones will be showing Mitchell support through this series as he looks to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.