DET TS% 60.2% vs CLE 52.2%. Three-point split: DET 14/28 (50.0%) vs CLE 7/32 (21.9%) — a 7-make differential worth 21 perimeter points. Cunningham: 25 pts, 10 ast, 5 TO, 71.3% TS, +13 net, double-double. Harris: 21 pts, 7 reb, 62.2% TS, +8. Robinson off the bench: 17 pts on 70.8% TS, 5/9 from 3 — outscoring Cleveland's entire wing rotation from deep. DET bench 26 vs CLE bench 17 — 9-pt depth gap. Mitchell: 31 pts on 24 FGA (50.0% eFG, 55.4% TS), -2 net — volume scoring without a second efficient creator. Allen: 22 pts on 77.8% FG, but rim-only; Mobley 9 pts on 1/4 from 3; Harden 10 pts on 3/13 (23.1% FG, 33.9% TS, -15 net). DET ORtg 119.2 vs CLE ORtg 102.2 — 17-pt efficiency gap. Q1 DET 25-18 set the tone; CLE won Q3 32-25 but DET closed Q4 28-22. Cleveland's biggest lead all night: 3 points.
What changed
Cavaliers — 0-2 down with home court forfeited. Harden -15 net at 23.1% FG turns Cleveland's starting backcourt into structural drag; Mitchell 24 FGA without a second efficient creator is not sustainable. CLE 21.9% from 3 is not random regression — Strus 1/6, Mitchell 2/9, Harden 0/4 — three primary shooters combined 3/19.
Pistons — Cunningham/Harris/Robinson trio produced 63 of 107 pts (58.9%) at a combined 67% TS, a balanced top-three Cleveland cannot match defensively without Garland (out).
DET shifts to Cleveland leading 2-0. Game 3 Sat May 9 3:00 PM ET at Rocket Arena (CLE) — Bravsen model: CLE 60.7% / DET 39.3% (basis: 3PT regression toward 36% mean, home-crowd +4.5 adjustment, Cunningham 22.2% TO rate as the offset risk). The 0-2 hole forces CLE to win 4 of the next 5 — every margin Cleveland wastes from here compounds.