With a 3-2 advantage over the Detroit Pistons, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and the Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance to book their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals tonight.
Instead, in front of their own home fans, the Cavaliers dropped the ball and took a loss that could haunt them for years to come. After the final buzzer (115-94), Mitchell was visibly disappointed with his team, afterward noting that Detroit played with much more urgency from the jump.
“They were just hungry, from the jump. At the end of the day, we didn’t match it,” said Mitchell. “We had an opportunity, we didn’t do it, so now we gotta go on the road and get a win. We have to win the recovery battle and understand that this is going to be a dog fight. Simple as that.”
After a convincing win in Game 5, the Cavaliers had all the momentum, and they were favored to win at home. In the first two quarters, they were holding their own with the Pistons, thanks to consistent scoring from Mitchell (18 points, four rebounds, three assists on 30.0% shooting) and Harden (23 points, seven rebounds, four assists on 46.2% shooting). By the end, however, the enemy was able to break away, forcing a Game 7 back in Detroit. More than anything, the issue for Cleveland seems to be playing with the necessary playoff intensity.
“Nope, not at all,” said Harden when asked if the Cavs brought the appropriate level of desperation. “I think we started off the game well and we still had the lead, but then, throughout the course of the game, we never kicked it into that second level. We had opportunities in small spurts but it was never like a consistent flow on both ends of the ball, which is a little frustrating, but you can’t do nothing about it.”
The Cavaliers really struggled offensively, scoring just 94 points on 39.0% shooting from the field. As much as Harden and Mitchell tried to carry their team, it simply wasn’t enough to overcome the Pistons’ depth, grit, and intensity throughout the night. Simply put, the Pistons just wanted it more in this game, and it made all the difference against a Cavs squad that’s become known for its playoff failures.
Despite the missed opportunity, the Cavaliers still have a chance to make up for their shortcomings. If they can win Game 7 on Sunday, they will make the East Finals and celebrate a hard-fought series victory over the top team in the East. If the Cavaliers go on to lose, however, it might be time to start asking some serious questions about their potential as a group.
After going 52-30 in the regular season, with a roster that includes Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, there’s no question that the Cavaliers have the talent to make a Finals run this year, but do they have the right mindset? In the playoffs, urgency is everything, and the team that plays the hardest is usually the one that wins. It’s nothing that the Cavaliers don’t already know, but maintaining that approach is much easier said than done.
