The Cleveland Cavaliers finish the preseason on a high note with a 118-110 win over the Detroit Pistons

The Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up their preseason on Tuesday night with a 118-100 win over the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Arena. It was the first preseason win for the Cavs in three years and the first for head coach Kenny Atkinson, which was cause for a mini celebration after the game. 

Atkinson treated the game as a final dress rehearsal of sorts before the team opens up the season at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks next Wednesday. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Cleveland's preseason finale. 

A Taste of the Starting Lineup 

Atkinson shared an important update on Darius Garland prior to first tip on Tuesday, revealing that he had participated in some 5-on-5 at shootaround. It's a good sign, but Garland is unlikely to be ready for the Cavs' season opener next week. 

With that in mind, Atkinson gave fans a taste of what his starting lineup is likely to look like next Wednesday against the New York Knicks, with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, De'Andre Hunter and Sam Merrill opening the game on the floor. 

Ready to Roll

Back at media day Donovan Mitchell was pretty adamant that he already in game shape before the team had even opened up camp. It showed tonight.

What was just the final game of the preseason felt more like a pivotal Eastern Conference matchup in March with the way Mitchell played. Through the first 7:35 of the game he had only scored two points. That quickly became 10 after knocking down a three, a fadeaway mid-range jumper and another three in three straight possessions. By the end of the first quarter he was already up to 13 points. 

In the end, Mitchell finished with 17 points. three assists, two rebounds, three steals. He shot 54% from the floor and 50% from three. It's safe to say he's ready for the regular season. 

First Up off the Bench...

Atkinson made his first substitution of the game with 7:13 to go in the first quarter as Lonzo Ball and Dean Wade were the first guys up off the bench. Ball wasn't necessarily a surprise, he'll likely be leading the second unit's offense at point guard, but Wade was a little more curious. 

It paid off as Wade proved why he still has the trust of his head coach. He had 15 points, shot 50% from the floor, including two threes, but did a lot of the dirty stuff too, grabbing nine boards, blocking a shot and dishing out an assist. The 28-year-old also finished a team high +18. 

Those are the things that keep you heavily involved in the rotation. Wade may have been part of some trade rumors this offseason, but so long as he's here, Atkinson will have a role for him. 

The Extra Big Lineup

At 9:28 of second quarter Atkinson deployed an extra big lineup that featured Mitchell at the point alongside De'Andre Hunter, Mobley, Wade and Larry Nance Jr. He ran with it for about four minutes, only swapping Mitchell with Craig Porter Jr. about 90 seconds into the experiment. It was an interesting wrinkle from Atkinson that we'll see if he uses at all during the regular season. 

Co-Existing

There were plenty of questions about how Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen co-existing on this team during the offseason, but if Mobley can take that leap everyone expects, it feels like he can dispel that narrative.

How? Well, the idea is that Mobley will be handling the ball more and operating outside of the key. There were signs of that on Tuesday night and it's something to monitor as the regular season commences. 

Hustler

It's no secret that Jaylon Tyson is due for an increased role this season, particularly after Ty Jerome's departure and Max Strus set to miss several months following foot surgery. What's going to make him valuable isn't so much his scoring ability, but the fact that he makes a lot of the hustle plays. 

Tyson finished the night with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one rebound. Scoring wise, he shot 57% from from the floor and 50% from three, including one in the third quarter after Tyrese Proctor missed a three but Wade kicked the rebound to the corner for Tyson to knock down an open look. The bucket gave Cleveland a lead that it never relinquished. 

That shot was a nice payoff from a scoring standpoint. But it was all the other things that made Tyson so impactful overall. He's someone who can contribute beyond just shot making, which is valuable to have.