The Cavaliers are happy they hit hard

Face the Pistons again, four days after the overtime lossand without Donovan Mitchell (nor Max Struss or Dean Wade) the Cavaliers faced both revenge and challenge. Mission accomplished for Kenny Atkinson’s men, who managed to win.

Obviously, for a coach, this success is significant, considering the opponent, the conditions and the time of the season, a few weeks before the playoffs.

“We’re starting to think about it. Without wanting to move too fast, we’re telling ourselves that we can play with these guys in the playoffs. We’re in this state of mind », the Cavaliers coach confirms. “We’re more into the details. We’re watching videos more carefully. These are big games for us, to test ourselves, playoff games, with the rankings that go with it.”

The Pistons are strong, but the Cavaliers “aren’t bad” either

This allows you to keep up with the Knicks or Celtics, who are ranked third and second in the conference, and distance yourself from Toronto, to secure a Top 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, and therefore home court advantage in the first round.

“We started slowly, it happens. We worked to get back to the top”, emphasizes Evan Mobley. “We are one of the big teams in the league and a contender for the title. And that is what we are aiming for, the trophy.”

A win like this, against the Eastern Conference leaders and without their best player, helps boost the confidence of a Cleveland team that has grown in recent weeks following the arrival of James Harden.

“We were against the best team in the league, in terms of placement and statistics, and we did our job”assures Dennis Schroder. “We gave up a win last Friday in Detroit when we could have taken it. We just showed we can play with them. It’s a hell of a group, very talented, but we’re not bad either.”