The Cleveland Cavaliers missed their first chance to close out the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, and Jarrett Allen did not hide what went wrong after the 115-94 loss at Rocket Arena.
Detroit forced a Game 7 behind Cade Cunningham’s 21 points, a dominant rebounding performance, and relentless defensive pressure that led to 20 Cleveland turnovers. The Pistons also outscored the Cavaliers’ bench 48-19 and converted 13 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.
Allen said the tone of the game was established early by Detroit’s physicality.
“Yeah, they came in through the first punch,” Allen said postgame. “They came in and were the aggressors tonight.”
The Cavaliers center finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, but Cleveland struggled to respond once the Pistons opened the second half on a 12-2 run. Detroit eventually pushed the lead to 84-70 entering the fourth quarter after Marcus Sasser scored at the buzzer.
Allen repeatedly returned to one theme during his press conference: aggression.
“We have to do the same thing to them that they did to us here,” Allen said. “We have to go in, throw the first punch, and keep throwing a punch until we can’t anymore.”
Cleveland now heads into its second straight Game 7 after surviving a seven-game first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. Allen acknowledged the physical and mental toll of another extended series but made it clear he does not want fatigue used as an excuse.
“Definitely fatigued, but we can’t let that play into it,” Allen said. “We’re professional athletes. We have some of the top bodies in the whole world. We can’t let mental or physical fatigue slow us down.”
The Cavaliers committed 20 turnovers Friday, continuing an issue that has followed them throughout the postseason. Allen said the mistakes were not only on the ball handlers.
“It’s just one of those decision-making things,” Allen said. “It’s not always on the passer who turns it over. That’s allowing everybody to get open and get secure the ball.”
Detroit’s frontcourt also controlled key stretches of the game. Jalen Duren posted 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Paul Reed added 17 points off the bench on 7-for-9 shooting.
Allen praised both Pistons big men afterward.
“Paul Reed has been incredible this series,” Allen said. “We have to find a way to shed this water off. Jalen Duren on the offensive boards. We just have to box him out more.”
The Cavaliers won Game 7 against Toronto earlier in the playoffs, and Allen said that experience must carry over into Sunday’s deciding matchup in Detroit.
“We came in Game 7 and won it,” Allen said. “We have to take every single knowledge that we did, whether it was the force, whether it was our play style, we have to take it into the next game.”
Allen also pointed to Cleveland’s road mentality during its Game 5 win in Detroit, where the Cavaliers escaped with a 117-113 victory to take a 3-2 series lead.
“I feel like on the road we were the aggressors,” Allen said. “You have to be the first one to make the first punch and just not make mistakes towards the end.”
Game 7 is set for Sunday in Detroit, with the winner advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks.
