After the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a 107-97 loss at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday, leaving them in a 2-0 series hole, center Jarrett Allen made it clear that there was no reason to panic.
Instead, Allen pointed to execution, pace, and effort as the main issues after the Detroit Pistons controlled key stretches late in the game to protect home court in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“We step into every game with full confidence in ourselves, full confidence in everything this organization does and how we prepare,” Allen said. “Winning on the road in the playoffs is difficult. That’s been proven throughout NBA history.”
Detroit’s balanced offense once again troubled Cleveland. Cade Cunningham posted 25 points and 10 assists, Tobias Harris added 21 points, and Duncan Robinson hit five 3-pointers as the top-seeded Pistons secured their fifth straight playoff victory.
The Cavaliers briefly gained momentum early in the fourth quarter when Evan Mobley’s dunk gave Cleveland its first lead since the opening possession, but the Pistons responded quickly and closed the game with a decisive run.
Allen said the Cavaliers are hurting themselves with avoidable errors.
“I think it’s just us making too many mistakes,” Allen said. “A lot of times we rush ourselves. We don’t play our style of basketball. We start slow, and those issues pile up in ways that don’t lead to road wins.”
Cleveland’s offense faltered late once more. The Cavs missed all 11 of their 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter, while James Harden finished with only 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting and committed four turnovers.
Donovan Mitchell, who scored 31 points, echoed Allen’s assessment of the team’s struggles.
“I think the biggest thing is that it starts with self-inflicted wounds,” Mitchell said. “I feel like it’s turnovers. The little things, the small details—a lot of it is self-inflicted.”
Allen was one of the few Cavaliers who produced consistently offensively. He had 22 points on 7-for-9 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds after a quiet Game 1.
Following the loss, Allen also defended Mobley when asked about the All-Star forward finishing with only one rebound in 36 minutes.
“Looking at the stat sheet, I know one rebound doesn’t seem like much, but his impact on the glass was much bigger than that,” Allen said. “He took himself out of several plays to make sure someone else got the defensive rebound.”
Allen pointed to Cleveland’s team rebounding distribution as evidence of Mobley’s effect.
“There’s a reason the guards ended up with six, five, and four rebounds,” Allen said. “So I think when we look at a stat sheet and say, ‘Oh, he had one,’ there’s a reason other guys got so many boards.”
The Cavaliers showed signs of offensive rhythm in the third quarter when they increased tempo and attacked before Detroit’s defense could get set.
Mitchell said that pace will be crucial heading into Game 3 in Cleveland.
“You can’t match up in transition,” Mitchell said. “It creates a lot of scrambling. So we need to set that tone early.”
Allen also addressed Cleveland’s defensive issues against Tobias Harris, who repeatedly found space in the midrange and on post turnarounds.
“We’ve got to do more,” Allen said. “He’s excellent from where he catches the ball. He’s excellent on his turnaround jumpers. We just need to put more energy and effort into it.”
The series shifts to Cleveland on Saturday. The Cavaliers went 4-0 at home against Toronto in the first round and will try to avoid falling into a nearly insurmountable 3-0 deficit.
