The Cleveland Cavaliers have successfully climbed out of an 0-2 hole against the Detroit Pistons in the second round, and 2016 NBA champion Channing Frye seems to think the team found something that will make the rest of the series a “heavyweight fight.”
The Cavs found something. Mitchell went crazy the defense, Harden found his touch. This is gonna be a heavyweight fight these last 3 games
— Channing Frye (@channingfrye) May 12, 2026
Huge right! But his Mental/ emotional engagement has been amazing in their wins. https://t.co/3iB7xsDYfr
— Channing Frye (@channingfrye) May 12, 2026
In some ways, the Cavs looked lifeless after losing Games 1 and 2 to put themselves in an early hole, but they had the luxury of home court waiting for them in Games 3 and 4. They were able to take care of business in both of those home games, and now, the series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 set for Wednesday in Detroit.
Cavs star Donovan Mitchell has been fantastic as the team has evened the series. In Game 3, he finished with 35 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, and in Game 4, he dropped 43 points, with a whopping 39 of them coming in the second half.
Meanwhile, veteran James Harden has done his part to get the squad back in business after he faced tons of criticism when the team was in its 0-2 hole. In Game 3, he had 19 points and seven assists, and he had a double-double in Game 4 with 24 points and 11 assists.
The Cavs are facing a lot of pressure to prove something this postseason given their inability to make a deep playoff run in recent years. After the team lost the first two games to the Pistons, some fans might’ve started to feel like they were watching a familiar movie, but head coach Kenny Atkinson’s group has come back to life in the second round.
The series is now essentially a best-of-three affair with home-court advantage favoring Detroit. Cleveland will need to steal a game on the road at some point in order to have a chance to win the series. That may be a daunting task, especially since the Cavs have yet to win a single road game this postseason, but momentum may be on their side now that they’ve erased the lead the Pistons built.
Whatever the squad found to help it turn this series around, it will need to keep it going in the coming games.
