Cavs one step away, then take major step back

Instead, it unraveled in a hurry.

The Cavs fell to the Detroit Pistons, 115-94, in Game 6 on Friday, missing an opportunity to reach the conference finals and allowing the series to head back to Detroit for a winner-take-all Game 7.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t overcomplicate it.

“They played great. Give them credit. Sometimes it’s that simple. We weren’t sharp and they were,” he said. “We got humbled.”

The numbers backed that up.

The Cavs turned it over 17 times, with James Harden responsible for eight of them. He finished with 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting, but the giveaways stalled possessions and fueled Detroit’s runs all night.

“We know how important the possession game is,” Atkinson said. “When you turn it over and don’t rebound well … it tends to bite you in the back.”

It did again. The Cavs scored just 94 points despite hitting enough early threes to stay close.

Donovan Mitchell never found a rhythm, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting. He went 3-of-12 in the paint and just 3-of-9 in the restricted area, numbers that tell the story of a night where nothing came easy.

Inside, it was not much better. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley struggled to impose themselves, combining for limited impact as Detroit controlled the glass and the tempo. 

Mobley went for 18 points and Allen had 13. But overall impact? Not a whole lot from anyone.

The Pistons, meanwhile, got production everywhere.

Cade Cunningham led the way with 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting, adding eight assists and consistently getting the Cavs’ defense to shift. Jalen Duren delivered 15 points and 11 rebounds, his best outing of the series.

The supporting cast did the rest.

Paul Reed scored 17 points. Daniss Jenkins added 15. Ausar Thompson chipped in 10. Duncan Robinson, playing through a back issue, hit 4-of-7 shots for 14 points.

The Cavs had one non-core player reach double figures — Sam Merrill (10 points). Max Strus finished with six points on 2-of-9 shooting after his Game 5 heroics.

The game turned for good in the third quarter.

After trailing by just three at halftime, the Cavs were outscored 14-4 to open the second half. Detroit pushed the lead to 13, then carried a 14-point advantage into the fourth. Cleveland never got closer than double digits the rest of the way.

“We gotta get them in space and that was a logjam tonight,” Atkinson said. “All of us had a hard time getting free. And that’s on us. We have to play with more force offensively.”

That lack of space showed up in the numbers and in the flow. Too many possessions stalled. Too many ended late in the clock. Too many never really started.

Now, it comes down to one game.

“I’ve seen this movie before,” Atkinson said. “It’s hard and it should be hard. The good thing is we put ourselves in a position to have a chance. We still have a Game 7.”

In summary, the Cavs are 48 minutes from the conference finals. Or from a long summer wondering how this one slipped away, and especially, wondering what will come next.