Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson did not search for excuses after his team’s 115-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 on Friday night at Rocket Arena.
Instead, Atkinson repeatedly pointed to Detroit’s physicality, sharper execution and control of the possession battle as the key reasons the Eastern Conference semifinal series is headed to a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday in Detroit.
“Sometimes it’s that simple,” Atkinson said after the loss. “Hard to beat the team four times in a row, you know, in the NBA. They came out. Just give them credit. We weren’t sharp. They were sharp.”
Detroit dominated the second half behind Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and a bench unit that outscored Cleveland’s reserves 48-19. The Pistons also turned 13 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points and forced 20 Cavaliers turnovers that became 28 Detroit points.
Atkinson said those extra possessions changed the game.
“We know how important a possession game is,” he said. “At the end of the day, you want to get more shots than the other team. But if you turn it over and you don’t rebound or don’t rebound well, you know, you just get too many opportunities.”
The Cavaliers entered Friday with a chance to close the series at home after winning Games 3, 4 and 5. Instead, Detroit delivered one of the largest Game 6 road wins ever by a team trailing 3-2 in a playoff series.
Despite the lopsided defeat, Atkinson said there was no panic inside Cleveland’s locker room.
“We got a humble group,” Atkinson said. “There’s no cockiness. I’ve seen this movie before, right? Like it’s tough. It’s hard and it should be hard.”
The Cavaliers struggled to generate consistent offense against Detroit’s physical perimeter defense. Donovan Mitchell finished with 18 points on 6-for-20 shooting while James Harden scored 23 points but committed eight turnovers.
Atkinson credited the Pistons for making life difficult on Mitchell, particularly with Ausar Thomspon applying pressure defensively.
“When it’s in the half court, it’s clutch, grab, hold,” Atkinson said. “We got to get him in space. We got to get him in the open court more where they can’t get their hands on him.”
The Cleveland coach also acknowledged that his team failed to adjust quickly enough to the way the game was being officiated.
“At the end of the day that’s on us,” Atkinson said. “This is how the game’s being called. We have to adjust to how the game’s being called.”
Detroit’s frontcourt also controlled the physical battle throughout the night. Duren posted 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Paul Reed added 17 points and six rebounds off the bench.
“They won a force battle tonight,” Atkinson said. “They’re more forceful in their drives, rebounds. They just had the advantage in being a more aggressive team.”
Still, Atkinson made it clear the Cavaliers believe the series remains within reach despite the momentum swing heading into Game 7.
“When the buzzer sounded, you just flip it,” Atkinson said. “There’s nothing you can do. I heard the word opportunity in that locker room. We got a great opportunity still.”
Atkinson added that Cleveland understands what is required in a road Game 7.
“We obviously got to play better,” he said. “But game sevens are a tossup, especially two teams even like this.”
