{"id":1934822,"date":"2026-05-14T10:30:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T07:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1934822"},"modified":"2026-05-14T10:30:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T07:30:27","slug":"cavaliers-find-their-toughness-show-mental-and-physical-capability-for-deep-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1934822","title":{"rendered":"Cavaliers find their toughness, show mental and physical capability for deep run"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DETROIT \u2014 He sounded hoarse, but not from the frantic screaming associated with being the head coach in a pivotal overtime playoff game. No, Kenny Atkinson insisted a bug was taking his voice, not the Detroit Pistons and this maniacal Game 5 victory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t even yelling,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was bad until it wasn\u2019t. It was over until it wasn\u2019t. The Cavs were the same old Cavs until they weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

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If there is one drastic change from last year to this year, perhaps this is it: A calm demeanor from the coach and players, even when the outlook is bleak. Down nine on the road with three minutes to go, the arena roaring and the Cleveland Cavaliers 180 seconds from staring at yet another second-round elimination game on Friday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This was impactful. Walking out of this arena, winning this game 117-113 in overtime<\/a> in the manner in which they did, this was one of those \u201ctoughness\u201d victories this team has spent years searching to find.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s no secret the Cavs have tried year after year to prove to the rest of the league they can be both mentally and physically tough. Atkinson called out their lack of mental toughness following the loss to the Indiana Pacers in the second round last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I scoffed a bit when he tried to credit his team for showing mental toughness this year by rallying to beat Toronto at home in Game 5 during the first round \u2014 when the Cavs entered as nearly double-digit favorites and enjoyed a heavy talent edge over the Raptors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But this? This is different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This was the Cavaliers digging in defensively to deny the Pistons on their last six shots, when even one of them falling likely would\u2019ve secured a Detroit victory. This was Evan Mobley rising up with a huge dunk, 3-pointer and two free throws on consecutive possessions to tie the score at the end of regulation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nobody on this team is more maddening to watch at times than Mobley, whose floor and ceiling have been farther apart than the court and the roof at Little Caesars Arena. When Mobley is good, he can be the best player at both ends of the floor. When he\u2019s bad, he\u2019s invisible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So yes, the Cavaliers are inching closer to shedding those mentally and physically soft labels. Mobley departed with deep, visible scratches down the left side of his face, souvenirs from another street fight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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He and the Cavs beat the No. 1 seed on Wednesday night by rallying late, on the road, when their best player was struggling through a miserable shooting night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mobley\u2019s growth and James Harden\u2019s arrival have mitigated the heavy reliance on Donovan Mitchell for every crucial possession of every postseason series. That\u2019s a good thing because Mitchell was lousy offensively for most of the night, and the Cavs won anyway. They never panicked. They never got down at the end when the game appeared close to over. They just kept fighting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMental fortitude,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cBeing able to understand, like I always talk about, you have something to pull from. You have the situation in Games 1 and 2 where you (lose). OK, cool. We\u2019ve been here before.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
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\n James Harden haters? Max Strus as Zeus? Tales from the brink of the Eastern finals\n <\/div>\n
\n The Cavs are super close to something special. We look at how they got here and why they might take that final step.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Wednesday\u2019s win was significant because it came on the anniversary of last year\u2019s stunning collapse against the Pacers. It was a year ago that Mitchell and Atkinson were trying to explain how a 64-win, No. 1 seed could crumble in the second round. It was during that series that I received a call from an NBA executive who was shocked by the Cavs\u2019 poor body language after they fell behind 0-2 at home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo they know they\u2019re the better team?\u201d he asked. \u201cThey\u2019re not acting like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of that is gone now. Harden\u2019s arrival and veteran demeanor have helped shape a new maturity. Atkinson has said multiple times that Harden is the same whether he plays great or plays poorly. We have plenty of examples of both just in this series. Harden was awful in the first two games. One of the Cavs\u2019 adjustments was taking the ball out of his hands more frequently, not asking him to initiate every time down the floor. They haven\u2019t lost since, and Harden was terrific in Game 5.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pistons are a flawed No. 1 seed, but this is a league of flawed teams outside of perhaps the Oklahoma City Thunder. The new version of the NBA demands parity, and Detroit, despite the best record in the East, is certainly part of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Cavs don\u2019t turn the ball over, the Pistons struggle to score in the halfcourt. Detroit scored 20 points in the first half off turnovers Wednesday because it was able to get out and run off the Cavs\u2019 mistakes. When the turnovers went away (mostly) in the second half, so did a lot of Detroit\u2019s easy points.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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This series isn\u2019t over yet. Atkinson was an assistant on the Golden State Warriors team that fell behind 0-2 to the Sacramento Kings in 2023, then won three in a row with a chance to close out the Kings at home in Game 6. The Warriors lost by 19 before winning Game 7 on the road.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cavs are hopeful they won\u2019t need a Game 7. Atkinson said before the game that he felt his team had taken the momentum of this series. It was a bold declaration coming from a team that hadn\u2019t won a road game in these playoffs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As it turns out, he was right. The Cavs are in complete control. They\u2019re undefeated at home in this postseason, and now have the quiet confidence of knowing they can win on the road.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The labels and stains from the past are being washed away as the scratches and gashes of toughness emerge. The lights are no longer too bright. The Cavaliers are proving they\u2019re built for this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DETROIT \u2014 He sounded hoarse, but not from the frantic screaming associated with being the head coach in a pivotal overtime playoff game. No, Kenny Atkinson insisted a bug was taking his voice, not the Detroit Pistons and this maniacal Game 5 victory.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t even yelling,\u201d he said.\u00a0 It was bad until it wasn\u2019t. […]<\/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-1934822","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\/1934822","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=1934822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1934822\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1934822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1934822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1934822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}