Pistons vs. Cavaliers playoff series second round preview
Cade Cunningham takes a closer look at the Pistons vs. Cavaliers in the second round against Cleveland’s frontcourt in a pivotal NBA playoff series.
On Thursday, May 7th, the Detroit Pistons jumped out to a 2-0 lead and won 107-97 over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals. This came two days after the Pistons defeated the Cavaliers 111-101 in Game 1.
And although both games were played on the Pistons’ home court, Little Caesars Arena, Cleveland had a chance to snatch wins on the road in both games, which wasn’t entirely unexpected. However, Cavaliers star James Harden struggled for the second straight game, especially in the first half.
The Cavaliers acquired Harden, a three-time leading scorer and 11-time All-Star, at this year’s trade deadline in part to give themselves a better playoff advantage than last year, when they lost 4-1 to the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals as the East’s top seed.
If Cleveland wants to get even deeper this year, Harden will need to knock down more shots, improve his 3-point shooting accuracy, get more assists and limit turnovers.
He finished the night with just 10 points while making 3-of-13 from the field, and committed a crucial turnover with 30 seconds left in Game 2 as Cleveland tried to claw back from a six-point deficit.
“We won the possession game, but we just didn’t make the shots. We had a lot of chances,” Harden said after Game 2 on Thursday night.
He was cautious about his struggles, saying he needed to choose his spots better, “understanding what works and what doesn’t for the betterment of the team…trying to find the combination of when to be aggressive and when to get team shots.”
According to ESPN Insights, this was Harden’s 20th playoff game in which he shot less than 25 percent (10 or more field goal attempts), tying him with Bob Cousy for the most playoff games in the shot clock era (since 1954-55).
In Game 1 against the Pistons on Tuesday, May 5, Harden scored 22 points, but shot just 40 percent (6 of 15) from the field and 1 of 7 (14.2 percent) from 3-point range. And while he recorded seven assists, he also turned the ball over seven times. His struggles were evident in the first half, when he scored nine points, including four from the charity stripe, on just 2-of-7 shooting from the floor.
Harden and the Cavaliers will have a chance to get a fresh start in Game 3 at home against Detroit on Saturday, May 9th at 3pm ET (NBC), but they will need to reset quickly.
Harden’s stats for the first half of Game 2 and the game are below.
James Harden’s final Game 2 stats vs. Pistons
- point: 10
- Field goal: 13 to 3
- 3 pointer: 4 to 0
- Free throws: 4 vs 4
- rebound: 6
- assist: 3
- block: 0
- Sales: 4
- Minutes: 36:52
James Harden’s first half Game 2 stats vs. Pistons
- point: 8
- Field goal: 2 out of 10 times
- 3 pointer: 3 to 0
- Free throws: 4 vs 4
- rebound: 4
- assist: 1
- block: 0
- Sales: 3
- Minutes: 18:20
