The Cleveland Cavaliers put together two quality efforts on the road to kick off their second-round series with the Detroit Pistons, but they have nothing to show for it. On Thursday night, the Cavs fell apart in crunch time of Game 2 as the Pistons escaped with a 107-97 win to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
The Cavs had their chances late in the game, even tying the game at 81 early in the fourth quarter and pulling back within two on multiple occasions, but the Pistons made more shots and collected some big offensive rebounds to pull away in the final minutes.
After the game, Cavs star James Harden pinpointed those rebounding struggles as a big reason Game 2 slipped away.
“Offensive rebounds,” Harden said matter-of-factly. “Small things. Things we can control. We get a rebound, give ourselves a chance to score the basket and either tie the game or cut it to a one-point game. It’s not much of a huge margin. Limit turnovers, rebound the basketball and we’ll be fine.”
Some execution issues, such as those rebounding struggles and some costly turnovers as well as some stagnant offensive possessions, cost the Cavs in this game, but Harden also needs to pick up his level of play if the Cavs want to come back and win this series. In Game 2, Harden had a nightmare game with just 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting and four turnovers in 37 minutes.
Harden has a tough assignment offensively in this series, as he is being guarded by the likes of Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland all game long against an elite Pistons defense. However, if the Cavs are going to keep their championship dreams alive, Harden will have to be much better than that no matter who is guarding him.
Now, Cleveland will head home for what is a must-win Game 3 to get back in the series. Kenny Atkinson and company won’t have a ton of time to regroup before an afternoon tip on Saturday in Cleveland.