DETROIT — As the final minute ticked off the clock in a game that had long since been decided, Donovan Mitchell went down the line shaking the hands of all of his teammates. He stopped to hug Kenny Atkinson, and he saved his largest embrace for top assistant Johnnie Bryant.Those hugs, particularly with Bryant, were nine years in the making. Finally, finally, Mitchell can breathe again.No one is running from how big this moment is for Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs put aside an erratic, inconsistent postseason long enough to produce their best performance of the season at the most important time. Their 125-94 victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday finally allowed Mitchell to claim his seat in a long-coveted conference final.The Cavs hadn’t reached a conference final without LeBron James since 1992. Mitchell has never been there, so it would be disingenuous to look past the impact of this night. It meant so much to an organization that has been haunted by James’ ghost and to Mitchell, who has been haunted by his own failures. No longer.“A breath of fresh air,” Mitchell acknowledged after the game. “It’s been almost a decade and I’m running into the same issue. I, personally, and as a team, we can breathe a little bit … but we can only breathe for about 12 hours.”There is still work to be done, and soon, but Mitchell and this franchise earned a night to celebrate their accomplishments. Had the Cavs lost to the Pistons and their former coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, thousands of words would’ve been published across the country this week about what a disappointment the Cavs — and Mitchell — have been. There would be questions about Mitchell’s future in Cleveland and Atkinson’s, too.There are still extensions and new contracts to sort through and fairly major organizational decisions to make this summer, but they’re a lot easier to make through the lens of a conference finals appearance — regardless of how it ends — as opposed to what it would’ve looked like following another second-round exit.“This was the next step for us,” Atkinson said.Donovan Mitchell and coach Kenny Atkinson embrace as Mitchell leaves the court late in Game 7. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)When the Cavs were stunned in the second round last year by the Indiana Pacers following a 64-win regular season, Mitchell seemed angry and bitter. It’s reasonable, obviously, to be upset after such a devastating upset. But this was different. The frustration of failing at the same point every year was beginning to present itself, as Mitchell uncharacteristically lashed out.“Y’all gonna write us the f— off, man,” he said then. “Getting beat down like this and y’all are gonna write some s— about us, man. And that’s gonna be fuel. Fuel for everybody. Y’all gonna say a lot of s—. Y’all are. And that’s what it takes. I’ve been here, so I understand. We understand. And we just gotta use it for fuel for next year.”The criticisms of the past were as valid as the Cavs’ emphatic response in Game 7. This playoff run has been harder than it should have been at times, needing seven games to eliminate both the Pistons and the Toronto Raptors, but the Cavs demonstrated a grit and toughness in the process that was previously lacking across the organization.Atkinson, like Mitchell, obsessed over the loss to the Pacers last year, poring over every possession of the series. He spent most of his summer trying to unravel how a team as talented as the Cavaliers was so thoroughly outplayed by Indiana. He can finally put the film away. It doesn’t matter now.Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley met the moment Sunday, as did James Harden. If the Cavs team that arrived at Little Caesars Arena for Game 7 can find its way to Madison Square Garden — where the New York Knicks await Tuesday night in Game 1 of the conference finals — the Cavs are absolutely powerful enough to represent the East in the NBA Finals. The question with this team has never been about talent. It’s been about focus and attention and playing with consistent force and effort.Mitchell rose to the challenge with 26 points, six rebounds and eight assists on Sunday. This was Mitchell’s moment. As I wrote before the game, there were no more excuses. The Cavs were healthy and had provided him with all the help he needed. It was time for him to perform. He did.“He had complete control of the game,” Atkinson said. “He kept this thing together this year when things weren’t going great. He was the beacon, the light. His leadership carried us on the court. And then when things were going great, he was the person everyone looked to.”They’re still looking to him now as Mitchell (and Atkinson) return home for a compelling conference final. Atkinson grew up on Long Island and still has plenty of family there. Mitchell grew up in the region and thought he was going to the Knicks before the Cavs swooped in to acquire him in 2022.He has been the steadying force here ever since, in good times and bad. There have been plenty of both. This was his reward, these relieving embraces with Atkinson and with Bryant, who was with him in Utah and now in Cleveland.Mitchell is going home for his first trip to the Eastern Conference finals. It’s what makes sports so beautiful. He’s going back to a place he knows well. In a setting where he’s never been.