Cavs find rhythm, flip script behind shot-making in Game 3 win

For two games, it felt like the Cavaliers were playing uphill.

Every miss a little louder. Every mistake a little heavier.

Saturday finally flipped that feeling. The Cavs didn’t reinvent anything in a 116-109 Game 3 win over the Pistons. They just settled in, found a rhythm early and, for once in this series, made Detroit react to them.

That’s been the difference.

Donovan Mitchell led the way with 35 points, attacking with purpose and setting the tone. James Harden added 19, Jarrett Allen had 18, and Evan Mobley chipped in 13 as four starters finished in double figures.

Balanced. Under control. Effective.

“What chatter? I play basketball, and whatever this team needs me to do, I try to do it,” Harden told NBC. “Each game is its own series.”

That mindset showed up.

After struggling through the first two games, Cleveland came out sharp, shooting nearly 69 percent in the first half and moving the ball with purpose. The Cavs weren’t thinking. They were playing.

Detroit, meanwhile, cooled off. The Pistons missed 12 of their first 14 threes, a shift from the shot-making that helped them grab the early series edge. Some of that was Cleveland’s defense. Some of it was regression. Either way, the Cavs capitalized.

That hadn’t always been the case.

Even when the Pistons made their push, Cleveland didn’t unravel. That’s new. That’s progress.

It wasn’t perfect. The turnovers popped up early again. The margin is still thin. Nothing about this feels safe.

But it finally felt like the Cavs were dictating. For one afternoon, at least, they looked like the team that got them here.

Now the question is simple. Can they make it a trend?