CLEVELAND — Before Game 6, Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that you would have to “choke the life out of” his team. Those words proved to be prophetic.
The Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t up for the challenge. They didn’t value possessions like they needed to, and overall didn’t have the attention to detail you need to close out a 60-win opponent. That came back to bite them as they dropped their best chance to go to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2018 with a 115-94 loss in Game 6.
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Now, it all comes down to Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday.
The Cavs once again got off to a sloppy start, which has been a trend throughout the playoffs. Turnovers were once again to blame. Good three-point shooting allowed them to close the first quarter just down one, but the giveaways caught up with them in the second.
Detroit pushed its lead to 12 before Cleveland responded. A 7-0 run, capped off by a Max Strus triple, cut the deficit to just three at the break.
The Cavs had all the momentum going into the half. It seemed like they were going to turn things around and take control of the game coming out of the third quarter. Instead, it was the Pistons that did so.
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Detroit opened the third on a 14-4 run to push their advantage back to 13 and went into the fourth up 14.
Cleveland never mounted a serious comeback attempt in the fourth quarter. They weren’t able to bring the deficit below double digits as Detroit cruised to a somewhat stress-free victory.
The Cavs have talked this series about letting anyone but Cade Cunningham beat them. They weren’t able to do so. Instead, it was Cade and also everyone else who beat them.
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Cunningham was once again the best player on the court. He got to his spots and was efficient with the opportunities he got. This led to 21 points on 7-19 shooting with 8 assists.
This was in stark contrast with Cleveland’s star guards.
Donovan Mithell wasn’t able to find a rhythm. He had a difficult time finishing when he got into the paint, going 3-12 on shots there, which included going 3-9 on shots in the restricted area. This led to an 18-point night on 6-20 shooting with three assists and as many turnovers.
Turnovers were an issue all evening. James Harden was front and center. It’s difficult to have a functional offense when your starting point guard gives it away eight times. Those turnovers wiped out any good that game came from his 23 points on 6-13 shooting.
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This theme carried over in the other position group matchups.
Jalen Duren had his best game of the series (15 points and 11 rebounds), while Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley couldn’t get anything going.
Detroit’s role players also significantly outplayed their counterparts. Paul Reed had 17 points, Daniss Jenkins had 15, Ausar Thmopson had 10, and Duncan Robinson — with a bad back — put up 14 points on 4-7 shots.
Meanwhile, Sam Merrill was the only Cavalier outside of the core four with double-digit points. Max Strus, who hit multiple clutch shots in Game 5, had just six points on 2-9 shooting.
Every time you want to believe in the Cavs, they show you that there’s no reason to quite do so yet. We’ll see if they can respond with their season on the line.
Game 7 will be on Sunday in Detroit.
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