Dribbles: Cavs weren’t clean, just clutch, and that was enough

May 13, 2026

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 117-113 overtime road win against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 Wednesday.

1. The Cavs didn’t take care of the basketball nearly enough. They didn’t keep Detroit off the offensive glass. They didn’t always hold their spots, or as coach Kenny Atkinson likes to say, “win the scrums.”

2. The Cavs hold a 3-2 series lead anyway.

3. This was the story of a team that’s been here before. James Harden. Donovan Mitchell. Evan Mobley. Jarrett Allen. Max Strus. And you can throw in Dean Wade.

4. When it came to winning time, that was the group that delivered. Over and over, then over again.

5. The Pistons led by 15 points in the second quarter. They scored 20 points off turnovers in the first half. They held a nine-point lead with 2:30 to go in the game.

6. The Cavs kept battling back. They kept falling short. Sometimes, very well short.

7. Detroit was at home and cooking. Once again, it appeared that the Cavs’ failure to do the little things would cost them.

8. But the defense didn’t bend. The offense became a series of smart plays, big shots and a flat-out refusal to wilt. Maybe no one else believed. These Cavs did.

9. Again, this is an example of a veteran team. The thinking seemed to be, As long as we keep competing, anything can happen. And it was the Cavs who made all the right plays down the stretch.

10. Harden put it simply to ESPN: “I’m just happy with how we played, man. … We find out who we are here in these moments. This is our story. Great road win.”

11. After being ripped for his performances in the first two games, Harden has been mostly dyn-o-mite since. That was especially the case on this night. He led the way with 30 points, eight rebounds, six assists and THREE blocked shots.

12. Yes, Harden also committed six turnovers. “We gotta clean up the details,” he said after. But at least he was smiling when he said it. And he’s a massive reason why.

13. Mitchell finished with 21 points one game after erupting for 43. Harden suggested Mitchell may have been “a little exhausted.” Still, Mitchell delivered when it meant the most, finishing with seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in OT.

14. Or how about Mobley? This was the clutch playoff game of his life. His 3-pointer from the top of the arc cut it to 103-101 with 1:21 left in regulation. That took guts. He knocked it down.

15. Or how about this — with 45.2 seconds left, Mobley stepped to the line and buried two free throws. That’s been an Achilles’ heel for him this season (64 percent from the foul line). But as Shaquille O’Neal says about himself, Mobley made ‘em when they counted.

16. Mobley finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three blocks. Strus was magnificent with endless energy, massive threes, another huge steal off Cade Cunningham and 20 points. He went 6-of-8 shooting, all on threes.

17. The Cavs needed an X-factor to finally win a playoff road game. In Game 5, that man was Strus.

18. Meanwhile, Allen finished with a remarkably underrated 16 points and 10 rebounds.

19. And for all the complaining we do about the Pistons coming up with offensive rebounds… well, Allen had a game-high six. He kept possessions alive and kept giving the Cavs second (and third) chances.

20. Of course, the biggest offensive rebound of the entire series was grabbed by Harden off his own missed free throw. It came in OT, the Cavs holding a 114-111 lead with 24.4 seconds to go. Harden’s foul shot hit the back of the rim and bounced to the middle of the lane.

21. He followed his shot, leapt into the key, gathered it, got fouled again. If Detroit wasn’t already totally deflated, that probably did it.

22. Cunningham finished with a game-high 39 to lead the Pistons. It took 27 shots to get there. Still, that dude is outstanding. The Cavs will really have to bring the defense for Game 6 on Friday.

23. The Cavs say they know that a series isn’t over when a team wins a road game. They also know the Pistons overcame a 3-1 deficit in the previous series against Orlando. And it’s not the first team to go up 3-2. It’s the first team to four.

24. Mitchell on closing it out: “They’ve got a group who really play hard. We need to make it tough on them (in the halfcourt) and get out in transition.”

25. In other words, if the Cavs play up to their standards, they should advance to their first Eastern Conference finals since LeBron James was in town. “We gotta do the small details in order to finish the series,” Harden added.

26. So, yes, the Cavs can close it out at home. It won’t be easy. They know that. Last thing they want is to go back to Detroit for a Game 7. How do they avoid it? Play just like this, only clean it up even more. Then this thing is over.