The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Detroit Pistons 111-101 on Tuesday night to tip off their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. With the loss, the Wine and Gold are still winless on the road this postseason, and the Pistons snapped a 12-game postseason skid against them. 

It was a sloppy Cleveland performance and an equally pressure-heavy defensive attack from Detroit that ultimately made the difference. Even after clawing back from a double-digit deficit to make it a tie game with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Pistons went on an 18-8 run to slam the door shut in the series opener.

Spencer German and Spencer Davies report live from Little Caesars Arena in a fresh episode of Courtside with Cavs.

Topics of the latest show include the following:

-  James Harden admitted postgame that the Cavs' 20 turnovers leading to 31 points for Detroit was the story of Game 1. He is not wrong. The All-Star guard had seven turnovers, most of which were stolen in isolation situations. He gave Cleveland a boost in the fourth quarter by getting downhill and ended up scoring 22 points, but it wasn't enough to offset the negative effect his overall night had. 

- Donovan Mitchell started the game well by getting to his cradle move, finding the gaps, and knocking down his threes. He only scored nine points in the second half, though, and they'll need him to produce more in the scoring column. Credit is certainly due to Ausar Thompson for making it difficult on him and literally everybody.

- Jarrett Allen's foul trouble in the first quarter hurt the group from the jump. In just six minutes of action, the Cavs were without their pick-and-roll threat and top rim protector. That kept him out of rhythm and disrupted the group's rotational patterns. 

- On the bright side, Cleveland got some solid minutes from Max Strus off the bench. He was getting downhill in the second half, making timely shots, and hustling around to help rally the team back. 

- Keon Ellis played for 11 minutes on the heels of missing three straight games in the Toronto Raptors series, out of the rotation. He played a solid role on defense and knocked down a three. It's going to be paramount for him to perform, especially with Sam Merrill exiting the game with a left hamstring injury.

- The Cavs utilized Evan Mobley as a ball-handler in inverted pick-and-roll sets. That could be something significant to look for if Harden and Donovan Mitchell aren't initiating the offense consistently. 

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