Cavaliers, Pistons Face Crucial Game 5 With East Finals Berth 2 Wins Away
Updated
Updated · ESPN · May 13
Cavaliers, Pistons Face Crucial Game 5 With East Finals Berth 2 Wins Away
10 articles · Updated · ESPN · May 13
Game 5 on Wednesday will break a 2-2 deadlock after Cleveland erased an 0-2 deficit, with the winner moving within one victory of facing the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
43 points from Donovan Mitchell in Game 4 and James Harden's rebound from a 3-for-13 Game 2 have flipped the series, while Cleveland says it has found better spacing and cleaner ballhandling against Detroit's defense.
5 turnovers by Harden across Games 3 and 4, down from 11 in the first two, helped fuel the comeback; Evan Mobley's defense has also curbed Jalen Duren's impact.
36 Detroit turnovers in Games 3 and 4 have become the Pistons' biggest threat, with Cade Cunningham averaging an NBA-high 5.7 giveaways per playoff game.
0-5 on the road this postseason remains Cleveland's biggest obstacle, while the series carries franchise-level stakes for a Cavaliers core under pressure and a young Pistons team chasing validation.
After an All-Star season, is Jalen Duren's playoff collapse about to end the top-seeded Pistons' unexpected run?
With the NBA's highest payroll and a winless road record, is Cleveland's entire future riding on this one game?
Why do insiders believe the struggling Cavaliers are an easier matchup for the Knicks than the top-seeded Pistons?