Pistons take 2-0 East-semifinals lead with 107-97 win over Cavaliers

The NBA story here is pretty simple — Detroit has taken control of this series faster than almost anyone expected. The P(apnews.com)0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. That matters because Cleveland is the higher-profile team in this matchup, but Detroit(apnews.com) and the Pistons closed again. (apnews.com)period, and Cunningham scored 12 of his 25 points there. When the game tightened, the Pistons got organized and the Cavaliers got jumpy. That has been the pattern through two games now — Cleveland can hang around, but Detroit has been better in the possessions that decide the night. (espn.com) ### How good was Cunningham? He gave Detroit exactly the kind of star game a team needs in May — 25 points, 10 assists, and late shot-makin(apnews.com)ingham kept getting Detroit into the right action, then punished Cleveland when the defense cracked. This didn’t feel like empty volume. It felt like command. (apnews.com) ### Who helped him finish it? Tobias Harris did a lot of the stabilizing. He scored 21 points, which matters because Detroit did(espn.com)yoff tell. When the second-best scoring option is reliable, the defense can’t just load up on the star and hope the offense stalls. Detroit has looked deeper and more balanced than Cleveland in this matchup. (apnews.com) ### What about Cleveland? Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 31 points, so this wasn’(apnews.com) the late-game execution hasn’t been there. The Cavs were down 1-0 after dropping Game 1, then let another winnable stretch slip in Game 2. That’s how a competitive series suddenly starts to look steep. (nba.com) ### Why does 2-0 feel so heavy? Because Detroit didn’t just steal one. The Pistons won Game 1 by 10, then won Game 2 by 10 ag(apnews.com)he series twice in a row. Now the scene shifts to Cleveland, but the pressure shifts too — the Cavaliers are the team that has to prove the matchup still bends their way. (cleveland.com) ### Is this about talent or tone? Both, but the tone jumps out first. Detroit has been the more(nba.com)urn into a test of who can keep doing their stuff once the game gets ugly. Right now, the Pistons look comfortable in that mess. The Cavaliers don’t. That doesn’t mean the series is over — but it does mean Cleveland has not solved the version of Detroit that shows up in crunch time. (nba.com) ### What changes now? Gam(cleveland.com)et watch into near-checkmate. Basically, the Pistons have already done the hard part — they protected home court and made Cunningham’s rise feel real on a bigger stage. Now they get to play from strength. (nba.com) ### Bottom line Detroit didn’t just beat Cleveland again. The Pistons showed they currently have the best closer, the cleaner late-game offense, and the emotional edge in the seri(nba.com) (apnews.com)