Cavaliers-Pistons Game 6 instant reactions. Cavs fail to close out series

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers put the Detroit Pistons on the brink of elimination with a ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line, where the New York Knicks are awaiting their opponent. The Cavs broke through with their first road playoff win in Game 5 , giving Cleveland a 3-2 series lead with a chance to send the Pistons home May 15 at Rocket Arena. In Game 6 , the Pistons started the third quarter on a run and kept building that lead en route to a 115-94 win over the Cavs, thus forcing a win-or-go-home Game 7 in Detroit May 17.

Here our instant reactions and analysis from Beacon Journal writers Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich: Cavs vs Pistons Game 6: Ryan Lewis' instant reaction The Pistons had a golden opportunity to put themselves in control of the series in Game 5 and couldn't capitalize. And now the Cavs had a chance to finish Detroit off and couldn't capitalize. Both sides have left the door open, and both sides have left opportunities floating in the air.

It's going to be difficult to take down the No. 1 seed when your top scorer, Donovan Mitchell, opens the game 6-for-20 from the floor. Mitchell also struggled from 3-point range in Game 5, but Max Strus picked up the slack.

In Game 6, nobody was there to cover for Mitchell, who is now in a position of absolutely having to put together a great Game 7 in Detroit to avoid a tidal wave of negative narratives. Ausar Thompson even gave the Cavs a free momentum spike with his flagrant foul on Sam Merrill, but the Pistons came out as the aggressors after halftime and never looked back. The beginning of the second half had been Cleveland's domain all through these playoffs.