The Detroit Pistons fell into a 3-2 hole in the second round after Wednesday night’s 117-113 loss to the Cleveland Cavs
On Wednesday night, the Detroit Pistons allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers to pick up their first road win in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a brutal late-game collapse that gave the visitors a 117-113 win in overtime to take a 3-2 edge in the second round.
To end the fourth quarter, Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell caught fire at the perfect time for Cleveland. Mitchell was responsible for the final nine points of regulation before adding seven more in extra time to give the dynamic scorer a 21-point outing after a strong dose of Ausar Thompson blanket coverage throughout the game.
But as time was running out in the fourth, Ausar Thompson grabbed a loose ball before he was tripped by Jarrett Allen with time expiring. Thompson was not awarded a foul call on the play, which would have sent the third-year ace defender to the charity stripe with a chance to win the game, and the Cavs closed out the win thanks to Mitchell’s brilliance down the stretch.
”He fouled Ausar,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “It’s clear. He trips him when he’s going for a loose ball. End-of-game situation, that’s tough.”
On the surface, the national media will likely latch onto this quote as a repeat complaint from Bickerstaff after his team suffered a tough playoff loss, but the All-Star head coach has a bone to pick with the officials regarding some dicey calls, such as the no-call on Allen, during the game’s most crucial moments. After the game, referee Tony Brothers described the play as “incidental contact,” so the Pistons will await further explanation from the final two-minute report when it’s released tomorrow.
But apart from the referring, Bickerstaff saw multiple positive signs from Detroit during the game five matchup before the battle got away from the Pistons during the overtime frame.
”It didn’t feel like we slowed our tempo down, starting playing in the half court,” Bickerstaff said. “Thought we had success when we got out in transition. We got stops and were able to get out and run, then they started doubling and getting the ball out of Cade’s hands. So, we’ll find ways to fix it, and we’ll be better.”
Since the Pistons went down 3-2 as a result of the Wednesday night tilt, Detroit once again finds their backs against the wall with another elimination game on the docket. Now, the Pistons were able to rip off three consecutive wins against the Orlando Magic in round one to advance further in the postseason, but the Cavs are a markedly more talented team than that which Detroit faced last round.
With Mitchell and James Harden operating in the backcourt, the Cavs have two star-studded guards that are capable of creating offense out of nowhere, but it was Harden’s time to shine throughout regulation with 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists before Mitchell sealed the deal in OT.
“Pro’s pro,” Cavs forward Max Strus said after the game. “He shows up every single day. He puts an amount of work in. You don’t become one of the best players the game has ever seen without showing up every day. I think that’s one thing that I’ve noticed from him is in the consistency, whether that’s in the weight room, whether that’s in taking care of your body, whether it’s in getting shots up. He’s a Hall of Famer in that regard, and that’s why he is who he is because he consistently puts in the work.”
Together, Harden and Mitchell combined for 51 points in their single-digit victory over the Pistons. But as they’ve done before, Detroit plans to study the tape and approach a pivotal game six with a different plan of attack, one which will theoretically limit one of Harden or Mitchell’s production while also allowing Cade Cunningham to get his teammates involved on the other end of the court.
Cunningham scored 39 points in the game, which tied Isiah Thomas’ franchise record for the most 30-point games by a Piston during the same playoff run.
Game six is scheduled to take place in Cleveland on Friday, May 15 at 7 pm.
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