Game one, Pistons
Detroit answered when Cleveland amounted challenges their way.
CREDIT: AP Photo / Duane Burleson
After 12 consecutive playoff losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons put an end to this by taking home game one of the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup, 111-101 to take a 1-0 series lead.
Spurts for Detroit helped them build sizable leads, throughout the opening half.
The Cavaliers didn’t concede, closing the gap within a single possession multiple times, including tying the contest at 93 on James Harden’s three free throws with 5:28 remaining.
But that’s as far Cleveland would reach, unable to re-take the lead as Detroit displayed their execution down the stretch, coming up with timely baskets.
Plenty of feeling occurred and as the series progresses this won’t fade anytime soon as the sides’ seek to gain any psychological edge.
Let’s unpack three takeaways from the series’ opener.
Wrecking havoc
By his own standards, Jalen Duren was below his best in the seven-game opening-round series against the Orlando Magic.
Passive play and needless fouls didn’t help his cause, picking up five fouls in three games and fouling out in game three.
However, game seven indicated signs of the fourth-year centre looking his best on both ends of the floor from contesting shots to grabbing offensive rebounds for second-chance opportunities.
And in game one he carried on this two-way play, scoring 11 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, handing out four assists and two blocks in 35 minutes. Right, the box score doesn’t scream exorbitant numbers, but this reads a vastly different scope.
Low numbers don’t paint an accurate picture of a player’s impact and Duren showed why he was named an All-Star this season and the first Pistons centre since Andre Drummond in 2018. On top, he didn’t commit a single foul for the first time since March 26 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Cleveland dominated the offensive glass early, grabbing three offensive rebounds, until Detroit began to reverse this.
And it started with Duren’s proactiveness.
With Cavaliers centre Jarrett Allen in early foul trouble, Duren took advantage of his 16 kg weight differential on Evan Mobley. Not by rag dolling the Cavaliers’ fifth-year power forward, instead by gaining an advantageous boxing out position to secure an offensive rebound.
An intensity permeated throughout his play as though on a mission to prove something.
His vital offensive rebound off Ron Holland III’s missed free throw helped Detroit gain an extra possession with Cleveland making a charge back into the contest.
Additionally his aptitude to alternate and contest shots at the rim, which doesn’t go on the box score proved significant.
During the Orlando series, Duren and Cade Cunningham weren’t frequently able to get into their two-man pick-and-roll game as the Magic aggressively packed the paint. But down the stretch, this transpired on three straight Pistons possessions.
Immaculate chemistry between point guards and bigs doesn’t happen overnight.
Yet the Pistons young duo have an intricate understanding on where to operate pick-and-rolls and the defensive coverages of the opposition.
Cunningham’s elite vision to draw opposition attention is profound. Allen, a tremendous shot-blocker, twice, was drawn whether to stop Cunningham’s penetration or to guard Duren. And on the third successive play, Cunningham’s vision to spot Duren gaining seal advantage on Mobley gives him a leeway for a bounce pass where Duren finished home with authority.
These last two playoff games, Duren is returning to prominently having an impact, big or small.
Defending Cleveland’s backcourt duo
Containing Cleveland’s backcourt of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell is a grand task.
Since his first playoff series in 2018 playing for the Utah Jazz, Mitchell has risen his play to exorbitant heights.
Bigger the moment, the better he plays, highlighted in his closeout 37-point game six display that postseason against the Oklahoma City Thunder to going basket for basket with Jamal Murray in Utah’s 2020 thrilling opening-round series to the Denver Nuggets.
After getting off to a scorching start these playoffs, posting consecutive 30-point games, Mitchell’s scoring production has tailored off with extra defensive attention drawn his way. In these last six playoff games, the seven-time All-Star is shooting 40.2% and 30.2% on threes, averaging 20.5 points.
In game one, Mitchell found his stroke early, scoring 14 points in the opening half, including two silky patterned step throughs - a repertoire of his for nine seasons. Majority of his 19 field-goal attempts, Mitchell got some good looks, he would convert nine times out of 10.
And with his stupendous aptitude as an isolation scorer it was imperative for Detroit to contest every shot without committing fouls, with Mitchell excellent at generating free throws.
Stopping Mitchell going to his left is near impossible, but making him work for his shots is key for the Pistons to limit his production.
Although Harden found his stroke, scoring 13 of his 22 points in the final period with a bevy of floaters in isolation situations, going to his dribble drive, for the most part Detroit’s active defence held the 17-year veteran in check.
As with Mitchell, Harden has crafted a forte as a deadly isolation scorer, hitting stepback threes and torching mismatches.
But the Pistons tightened the screws on Harden, forcing him into frequent contested triples in isolation with the shot-clock winding down, usually his trademark. With its length, putting Ausar Thompson and Duren (on a switch), didn’t allow Harden ample space as both players are elite lateral movement to stay in front.
Detroit’s defensive strategy on Harden is identical to guarding Mitchell: put two on the ball at the top and make them pass out of the trap, inviting a weakside defender to rotate over and create a loose ball steal.
Costly turnovers
To win road games, minimising turnovers stacks up as priority number one for any team.
For the Cavaliers, too many miscues proved costly, committing 20 leading to 31 Pistons points.
Virtually impossible to pull out a victory.
In the four regular-season games, Cleveland twice committed 17 turnovers, 19 in the opening-meeting on October 27 only 10 on March 3. The Cavaliers had numerous problems taking care of possession throughout its opening-round series against the Toronto Raptors, averaging 17.3 turnovers, including 22 miscues in a blowout game three loss.
Relinquishing live-ball and unforced errors against Detroit is a disaster awaiting due to the Pistons’ quickness to bolt in transition and create fast-breaks.
Harden by his admission produced a number of basic errors, losing the dribble on multiple possessions.
It’s been a tough go, mitigating turnovers this postseason for the 2018 MVP, committing 5.1 against Toronto and seven in game one against Detroit.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson spoke to reporters post-game on having to own our spots on the floor, and it starts with making incisive decisions without the turnovers snowballing.