Cavaliers have great final nine minutes in playoff win over Pistons

James Harden (Facebook)

With under four minutes left in regulation on Wednesday night it definitely appeared that the Detroit Pistons had everything under control in game five of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pistons had a commanding 100-91 lead after point guard Daniss Jenkins of Dallas, Texas made a layup and free throw.

However, what we saw down the stretch at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, was effective play by a Cleveland Cavaliers unit. Cleveland forced overtime by outscoring Detroit 12-3 in the final three minutes and 38 seconds of regulation, and then outscored the Pistons 14-10 in overtime for the 117-113 victory.

In regulation, the Cavaliers star was 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley of San Diego, California. It was Mobley’s offense that deserved high praise. He made the Cavaliers’s final seven points in the fourth quarter, as he had one three point jump shot from 26 feet, a two point dunk from three feet, and two free throws. Then in overtime, it was Donovan Mitchell’s turn to shine for Cleveland. He scored seven straight points for the Cavaliers as he scored two two-point field goals and a three-pointer.

For the game, the Cavaliers were led in scoring by James Harden. The player simply known as “The Beard”, had 30 points.

Now the series shifts to the Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday. For the first time in the series, the Cavaliers have the lead. Detroit won the first two games of the series by scores of 111-101 and 107-97. However, the Cavaliers held serve in the series with two home wins of their own by scores of 116-109 and 112-103. In the fifth game on Wednesday, the Cavaliers were in fact the first road team to get the win.