It is a shame that Donovan Mitchell never quite got the Utah Jazz further than he did. However, in Year 9, he finally led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the conference finals, a level he never got the Jazz to. And he wouldn't have done that without Utah native and lifelong Jazz fan Sam Merrill.
Merrill, a Utah native who grew up watching the Jazz and went on to play for Utah State, played a key role in the Cavaliers' blowout victory over the Detroit Pistons, scoring 23 points while shooting 5-for-8 from three.
Needless to say, his flamethrower of a three-ball kept the Pistons at an arm's length from pretty much the entire game.
In fact, Merrill's ties to the Jazz go back to watching Mitchell's rookie year with the Jazz during the 2017-18 season. That's what makes it even sweeter to see the two succeed as teammates all these years later. It's just a tad painful that their success isn't happening in Utah with both players' individual histories with the state.
There's some cruel irony to a Jazz fan being the one to help get Mitchell to the level he's always wanted to since coming to the NBA. It might not be with the Jazz, but it might be what inspires Jazz fans to continue rooting for the Cavaliers during these playoffs.
Merrill could help Mitchell & the Cavaliers go even further
Mitchell and Merrill have another bar to clear with the New York Knicks on the horizon in the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks have not only been on this stage before, but the last time these two teams faced off, New York mad eeasy work out of Cleveland in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
Of course, circumstances have changed quite a bit since then. The Cavaliers made a major shakeup mid-season, and the Knicks have made quite a few changes in the last four years. Look where it's gotten both teams.
Jazz fans were already rooting for Spida to keep going in these playoffs, but now they have extra incentive to now that a well-known Jazz fan is helping him on his quest. The odds aren't in their favor, as the Knicks have yet to lose a playoff game in May, while the Cavaliers are coming off two grueling seven-game series.
Nonetheless, Mitchell has never been one to shy away from a tough playoff series, even if he hasn't succeeded all that often. If Merrill can help him get past the obstacle that was the conference semifinals, who's to say he can't do it again in the conference finals?
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