TITLE: Pistons seize 2–0 edge over Cavaliers but stress series is far from over
SLUG: pistons-seize-2-0-edge-over-cavaliers-but-stress-series-is-far-from-over
CONTENT:
The Detroit Pistons extended their postseason win streak to five games on Wednesday night, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-97 at Little Caesars Arena to claim a 2-0 advantage in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Despite holding their biggest playoff cushion since 2008, the locker-room tone remained cautious.
“It taught us how fragile and how thin of a line is that comes between winning and losing,” guard Cade Cunningham said, referring to last round’s comeback against Orlando. “Being up 2-0 right now, we know it’s a thin line still, so it’s one game at a time.”
Cunningham leads late surge
Cunningham paced Detroit with 25 points and 10 assists, scoring 12 in the fourth quarter and drilling a step-back three with just over two minutes left to secure the result. He has reached the 20-point mark in each of his 15 career playoff outings and is averaging 31.4 points and 7.4 assists while shooting better than 55 percent from beyond the arc during the current five-game run.
“I mean, Cade is just fabulous,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He’s the killer, closer and all of the adjectives you want to talk about. Like, he’s it.”
Supporting cast delivers
Tobias Harris supplied 21 points and seven rebounds, Duncan Robinson knocked down five three-pointers for the second straight contest en route to 17 points, and reserve guard Daniss Jenkins chipped in 14 points, six boards and four assists. Detroit closed the night on a 28-16 run after Cleveland had briefly moved in front early in the fourth quarter.
The Pistons’ confidence is tempered by recent history. They trailed Orlando by 24 in Game 6 and 3-1 in the series before rallying to advance. “We just know, just last series we was down 3-1,” Jenkins noted. “So, we’re gonna keep swinging. Job’s not finished.”
NBA teams that build a 2-0 lead go on to win the series more than 90 percent of the time, but, as Cunningham reiterated, Detroit is focused solely on Game 3.
Source: Hoops Wire
