Flight delays related to nationwide ground stop influenced on Cavaliers‘ return to Cleveland after playing in Miami on Friday night. As a result Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Jarrett Allen and Peyton Watson according to The Athletic’s Christian Clark (Link to Twitter).
The Cavs weren’t able to fly out of Miami until 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning and didn’t arrive home until around noon, less than eight hours before kickoff. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in history only for subscribers. That added to the fatigue of a three-game road trip that began Monday in Charlotte.
“It’s unprecedented,” Mitchell said after Friday’s game. “Back-to-back. A three-hour flight. It was already tough. But when they say we have to play, we have to play.”
Mitchell believes the league should have moved tonight’s contest in light of the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision, which was beyond the team’s control.
“Never in his time in the league,” Mitchell responded when asked if he had experienced anything like this before. “I think the craziest journey I’ve ever been on is the COVID situation. Make the adjustments. Figure it out. Go from there.”
Other players complained about revised travel plans that included booking an extra night at a Miami hotel, Fedor adds. Members of the organization made calls around the city Friday afternoon to make emergency arrangements, but in the end the team was able to stay put.
An unidentified player compared the situation to “AAU basketball,” but Tyrese Proctor took a different approach, stating that players should be ready for any obstacle that comes their way.
“If we play, we must play” Proctor added. “Once the ball goes up, we’ve got to compete and come out with a win, no matter the circumstances. It’s tough circumstances, going to have to go on game day. But it is what it is.”