The Cleveland Cavaliers walked out of Little Caesars Arena facing a problem they still have not solved. After Thursday’s 107-97 loss to the Detroit Pistons, head coach Kenny Atkinson openly questioned nearly every part of Cleveland’s approach as the Cavaliers fell behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Detroit erased Cleveland’s brief fourth-quarter lead with relentless rebounding and timely shooting, and Atkinson pointed directly at one area that changed the game.
“I think the thing that stood out to me was the offensive rebounds,” Atkinson said postgame. “I think they had eight offensive rebounds in that fourth quarter. That’s a lot.”
The Cavaliers briefly grabbed an 81-79 lead early in the final period after trailing by as many as 14 points, but the Pistons immediately answered. Duncan Robinson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer, and Cade Cunningham later drilled another dagger from deep to seal the win.
Atkinson said Cleveland’s inability to finish defensive possessions drained the momentum from the comeback attempt.
“We got some good stops, made some good defensive plays and then we couldn’t come up with the rebound,” Atkinson said. “You play for 18 seconds and the shot clock miss offensive rebound, and it just takes the wind out of your sails.”
The Cavaliers shot just 7-for-32 from 3-point range, including 0-for-11 in the fourth quarter. James Harden struggled through one of his roughest playoff performances, finishing with 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting and taking only two shots after halftime.
Atkinson surprisingly defended Harden’s decision-making while also taking responsibility for the lack of touches.
“We can’t have our Hall of Famer taking two shots in the second half,” Atkinson said. “I’ll take that one.”
The Cleveland coach added that Detroit’s defensive pressure forced Harden into a facilitator role.
“Sometimes as a great player that’s what the game calls for,” Atkinson said. “He was just hitting the next open man. Sometimes that’s it when so much attention is being paid to you.”
While Harden struggled, Donovan Mitchell attacked consistently and scored 31 points. Atkinson praised Mitchell’s aggressiveness and ability to pressure Detroit’s defense.
“I thought Don was super aggressive tonight driving the ball,” Atkinson said. “He lived in the paint.”
The bigger concern for Cleveland may be the recurring slow starts. The Cavaliers have now fallen behind by double digits in seven of their last eight games, a trend Atkinson admitted has become impossible to ignore.
“We got to look at everything,” Atkinson said. “There’s lineups. There’s tactics. There’s even more aggressive defensive tactics. Everything’s on the table.”
Detroit’s physicality has also become a major issue for Cleveland’s frontcourt. Cade Cunningham finished with 25 points and 10 assists, while Tobias Harris added 21 points and repeatedly punished the Cavaliers on closeouts and post-ups.
“He’s hurting us in the post,” Atkinson said about Harris. “He’s hurting us on closeouts too.”
Even in defeat, Atkinson pointed to several positives. Cleveland committed only two turnovers in the second half, pushed the pace more effectively after halftime, and received a major bounce-back performance from Jarrett Allen, who scored 22 points after struggling in Game 1.
“I love both of them,” Atkinson said about Allen and Evan Mobley. “Going to keep doubling down on playing those guys together.”
Now the series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday, where the Cavaliers were undefeated in the first round against Toronto. But after two losses in Detroit, Atkinson acknowledged the urgency surrounding his team.
“Obviously haven’t figured that one out,” he said. “Still back to the drawing board.”
