Detroit Pistons vow to learn from Game 3 mistakes: 'Know it's a war'
The Detroit Pistons had only themselves to blame after a rally fell short in Game 3 of their second-round series vs the Cleveland Cavaliers.
CLEVELAND – The Detroit Pistons’ worst first half of the Eastern Conference semifinals wasn’t enough to eliminate their hopes of winning Game 3. No, it was self-inflicted mistakes late that allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers to find their mojo late and prevail on their home floor, 116-109, on Saturday, May 9. With the game tied at 104, Cade Cunningham’s inbounds pass to Daniss Jenkins was intercepted by Max Strus.
The Cavaliers wing immediately raced downcourt for a fastbreak layup, giving Cleveland the lead with 2:28 to play. Cunningham committed turnovers on each of the Pistons’ next two possessions – a bad entry pass to Jalen Duren that was picked off by Jarrett Allen, followed by a bad kickout to Tobias Harris that went out of bounds. All three turnovers took place over a 40-second stretch and were costly.
SHAWN WINDSOR: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons fumbled an opportunity in Game 3 Finally, James Harden scored seven straight points to help Cleveland close out the win, narrowing the Pistons’ series lead to 2-1. After using a 28-9 run to erase a 17-point deficit in the third quarter, the Pistons had nothing to show for it in a road loss at Rocket Arena. But it did leave them with lessons for when they regroup on Sunday ahead of Game 4 on Monday (8 p.
m. , NBC). Cunningham’s miscues hurt, but their issues Saturday went deeper than just one player.
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