{"id":1927728,"date":"2026-05-10T10:00:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T07:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1927728"},"modified":"2026-05-10T10:00:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T07:00:53","slug":"cade-cunningham-needs-to-get-one-thing-in-check-and-fast-careless-turnovers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1927728","title":{"rendered":"Cade Cunningham needs to get one thing in check, and fast: \u2018Careless turnovers\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

CLEVELAND \u2014 Just when it seemed they were on the verge of mounting another double-digit comeback, the Detroit Pistons were derailed by turnovers down the stretch in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.<\/p>\n

Cade Cunningham had three of them in the fourth quarter of the Pistons\u2019 116-109 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday<\/a>, each proving to be more of a gut punch than the last. First, it was an inbounds pass that almost looked as if it had a magnetic pull right into the hands of Cleveland\u2019s Max Strus, who sprinted for an easy transition layup that gave the Cavaliers a two-point lead with 2:30 remaining.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

On the next possession, Cunningham picked up his dribble earlier than necessary and forced a pass to a diving Jalen Duren. Cavs center Jarrett Allen jumped, using every inch of his 7-foot-6 wingspan, to make a one-handed interception that sent Cleveland on another fast break. Duren, however, recovered and forced a missed Donovan Mitchell layup, minimizing the damage.<\/p>\n

\n

On the ensuing possession, after drawing three defenders into the paint, Cunningham couldn\u2019t connect on a kickout to Tobias Harris that sailed out of bounds. It was his eighth turnover of the evening, and that stretch ultimately doomed Detroit and gave Cleveland enough cushion to eke out the win.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Cunningham has proved he\u2019s capable of meeting the moment and getting a bucket with ease throughout this postseason run. But his potentially fatal flaw of committing untimely turnovers reared its ugly head once again Saturday. His 30.2 points per game lead the playoffs, but so do his 58 turnovers. Putting a cap on those giveaways could be a deciding factor in the Pistons\u2019 ability to maximize their potential.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

{“endpoint”:”https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql”}<\/p>\n

\u201cJust careless turnovers. I wouldn\u2019t even say \u2018careless,’\u201d Cunningham said while reflecting on the sequence. \u201cI care about (them) a lot. Just bad plays that could\u2019ve got shots on the rim and could\u2019ve gave us an opportunity to win this game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cunningham still managed a 27-point triple-double and was a plus-6 Saturday, but turnovers on three consecutive possessions won\u2019t cut it during the playoffs. Cunningham contributed to half of the Pistons\u2019 16 turnovers that led to 27 Cavs points, the most they\u2019ve surrendered during these playoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s too many turnovers for us as a group. Sixteen is too many,\u201d Pistons coach Bickerstaff said postgame. \u201cGive up 27 points off those turnovers \u2026 our defense is so stingy if we get you in the half court. We\u2019ve just got to make sure we get shots on goal so we can set our defense and make people have to work through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Detroit won the possession game, as supported by its 91 shots to Cleveland\u2019s 74. The Pistons also outrebounded the Cavaliers 40-33 and had a 17-5 advantage on the offensive glass. They even had 19 second-chance points to Cleveland\u2019s 11.<\/p>\n

Turnovers were the deciding factor. But there\u2019s still a sense of optimism in the locker room.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing shakes our confidence,\u201d said Ausar Thompson, who was a game-high plus-12. \u201cWe have confidence no matter what the turnout of this game was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foul trouble limited Thompson to 29 minutes. He was impactful in his time on the floor, though, tallying nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks.<\/p>\n

Thompson was the intended target of possibly Cunningham\u2019s most egregious turnover of the evening. The game was even at 76 with 1:53 to go in the third quarter when Cunningham threw another errant inbounds pass that careened off the top of the station just behind the backboard. Thompson grabbed the ball and bounced it to Cunningham after the whistle, seemingly instructing Cunningham on how he should\u2019ve passed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to be better outlets for Cade, (Daniss Jenkins) and the ballhandlers and not let them get pressured as much,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

The Pistons have shown they\u2019re capable of stifling the Cavaliers; it\u2019s why they lead the series 2-1. The issue Saturday was that Detroit was only able to do it in spurts before self-inflicted wounds caused it to self-destruct.<\/p>\n

A portion of Cunningham\u2019s turnovers this postseason can be boiled down to defensive schemes, but far too many of them could have been avoided. He\u2019s on the brink of superstardom, with his 33.2 percent usage rate in the postseason second only to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid. But Cunningham has played in four more games than Embiid. There\u2019s no question Cunningham is tasked with arguably more than any of his peers at this point in the season.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

His turnovers, though, have been a thorn in the Pistons\u2019 side, and he\u2019s responsible for getting them under control.<\/p>\n

The emphasis in Game 4 for Detroit will be limiting unnecessary turnovers and continuing to impose its will on Cleveland, a team it believes it has the edge against with Cunningham leading the charge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about getting four wins,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cSo, just continuing to play our brand of basketball and seeing if they\u2019re able to withstand that. But beyond that, us trying to break through and go and take wins is the name of the game. The series is what it is. We\u2019re ready for the next game, ready to get back to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND \u2014 Just when it seemed they were on the verge of mounting another double-digit comeback, the Detroit Pistons were derailed by turnovers down the stretch in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Cade Cunningham had three of them in the fourth quarter of the Pistons\u2019 116-109 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1927728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1927728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1927728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1927728\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1927728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1927728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1927728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}