The Cleveland Cavaliers had plenty of chances to steal Game 1 against the Detroit Pistons, but careless turnovers, an inability to secure defensive rebounds, questionable coaching, and overall bad offensive process kept them from doing so. Whether or not they can turn around will determine how this series goes.
Winning Game 2 will be tough. J.B. Bickerstaff-led teams are 5-1 in the playoffs. The lone Game 2 loss came when he was leading James Harden and the Houston Rockets in 2016.
Cleveland hopes
to break that trend in Game 2. Heading back to Cleveland down 2-0 would mean they would have to win four of the last five games of the series. That isn’t an impossible task, but far from ideal.
Overall, the Cavs have struggled on the road in the playoffs. Since trading for Donovan Mitchell, they’re just 4-12 away from Cleveland. That trend needs to end if they want to make a deep postseason run.
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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1) at Detroit Pistons (1-0)
Where: Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
When: Thur., May 7 at 7 PM
TV: Prime Video
Point spread: Pistons -3.5
Cavs injury report: Sam Merrill, – QUESTIONABLE (hamstring)
Pistons injury report: Kevin Huerter – DOUBTFUL (abductor strain)
Cavs expected starting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Pistons expected starting lineup: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Previous matchup: The Pistons took Game 1 due to suffocating defense on Cleveland’s guards.
Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.
