Pistons go up 2-0 in second round after 107-97 win over Cavaliers

The story here is pretty simple — Detroit looks like the steadier, tougher team right now. The Pistons beat the Cavaliers 107-97 on Thursday, May 7, and took a 2-0 lead in the East semifinals. That matters because Cleveland came into this round as the higher seed and was supposed to have the cleaner path. Instead, the Pistons have won the first two games and done it by looking more composed late. (espn.com) ### How did Detroit win this one? Detroit built the game in layers. The Pistons led 54-43 at halftime, let Cleveland make a real push in the third, then answered in the fourth instead of wobbling. Cade Cunningham controlled the tempo, got to his spots late, and finished with 25 points and 10 assists. Tobias Harris gave them 21(espn.com)land never got to load up on just one guy. (espn.com) ### What was the swing factor? The cleanest answer is shooting. Detroit made 14 of 28 from 3 — a flat 50%. Cleveland made 7 of 32 — 21.9%. That is a huge math problem in a playoff game that stayed competitive into the second half. The Cavaliers actually scored more in the paint, 52-42, but the Pistons made up that gap by winning the perimeter battle and avoiding empty possessions. (foxsports.com) ### Why did Cunningham matter so much? Because he did the star guard thing playoff teams need — not just scoring, but calming the game down when it starts tilting. ESPN’s recap notes he scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, which is basically when Detroit turned control into separation. Late-game offense gets ugly in the playoffs. Cunningham kept Detroit from getting stuck in that mud. (espn.com) ### What happened to Cleveland? The Cavaliers never totally disappeared, but they were chasing too much of the night. They trailed by seven after the first quarter and by 11 at the half. A 32-point third quarter gave them a path back, but the shotmaking never held. When a team goes 7-for-32 from deep, every comeback has to be perfect somewhere(espn.com)ss to erase that. (espn.com) ### Is 2-0 really that big? Yes — especially because Detroit has not needed miracle finishes to get here. The Pistons won Game 1 by 10 and Game 2 by 10, so this is not a fluky split. They’ve been the better team across two games. Now the pressure flips hard onto Cleveland. A series that looked manageable a few days ago now asks the Cavaliers to defend home court immediately just to avoid a 3-0 hole. (msn.com) ### What does Detroit have working? Balance, basically. Cunningham is the engine, but Detroit is getting enough from Harris, Robinson, and the rest of the rotation that the offense doesn’t freeze when Cleveland changes coverages. The Pistons also look comfortable playing their sty(msn.com)ries feels more stable for Detroit than the seed numbers suggested. (gmanetwork.com) ### What should matter in Game 3? Cleveland’s 3-point offense is the first thing to watch. If the Cavaliers shoot anywhere close to normal, the shape of this series can change fast. But if Detroit keeps winning the shot-quality battle and Cunningham keeps owning the late possessions, then this stops looking like an upset in progress and starts looking like a real power shift. (foxsports.com) Detroit doesn’t need to prove it can hang anymore. Through two games, the Pistons have been better — cleaner late, sharper from deep, and more reliable when the game tightens. Now Cleveland has to answer.