Once again, the Cleveland Cavaliers wasted the perfect opportunity to close out a series. They won three straight games and headed back home just one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, and they crumbled under pressure.
Kenny Atkinson's team couldn't handle the Detroit Pistons' physicality, especially in the second half. They didn't have an answer for Jalen Duren, and they just weren't able to match their intensity on both ends of the floor.
Now, the Cavaliers will take the road for Game 7, but there will be much more at stake than just a ticket to the next round. Sunday's game might determine the fate of this organization well beyond this season.
The Cavs will need to blow it up if they lose Game 7
The Cavs are facing a crucial offseason. If everything goes well, they will have reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in the post-LeBron James era. If it doesn't, they will probably be better off blowing up the roster.
Otherwise, James Harden will most likely get a new multi-year deal, and Donovan Mitchell could be making $70 million in his new contract. That's way too much of a risk and money for one of the all-time biggest playoff droppers and someone who has never gotten past the second round of the playoffs in his career.
Of course, the Cavs won't be the worst team in the world if they lose on Sunday, just like they won't be the 1996 Chicago Bulls, either. However, another postseason failure with this core should be more than enough to pull the plug on the experiment.
The Cavs are already paying Evan Mobley $50 million, and while he's had some big games here and there and is one of the best defensive players in the world, he's fallen short of his lofty price tag more often than not.
This front office has doubled down on this core way too many times, but the outcome always seems to be the same. They have a bunch of very talented players and great guys who may simply not be cut out to take care of business when it matters the most.
They can make that narrative go away with a win on Sunday, at least for a while. They're the more experienced and battle-tested team, and it might be their last chance to prove that they can wipe the slate clean and not let their woes of the past stick and get the best of them again.
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