The Cleveland Cavaliers rolled into Detroit riding a three-game win streak—but that momentum came to a screeching halt. In a shocking upset, the Pistons took down the playoff-bound Cavs, despite missing their star, Cade Cunningham.

Detroit’s persistence played a huge role in the win, but let’s be real—the Cavs did plenty of damage to themselves. They gambled with their approach, and this time, the risk didn’t pay off.

“I’m sick and tired of comebacks.” Darius Garland claimed earlier this month. It was part of a stretch of games where the Cavaliers won games from improbable spots. Great teams can do that. However, teams can’t frequently keep finding themselves in such disastrous spots and get serious late in games.

That’s exactly what happened tonight. Only this time, the Cavaliers emerged on the losing side. And Garland is right back to feeling how he did before. He is growing impatient with the team trying to be heroes. “It’s tough. Put ourselves in that hole not playing hard for the first half and um try to be some superheroes and superman trying to come back in the second half, It always doesn’t work for us like that,” the dexterous point guard noted.

The Cavaliers didn’t suffer majorly in the first half. They only trailed by five. However, playing on the road, traveling teams need to make up for the lack of crowd support through their effort. Garland felt they could have had a significantly better first half, and maybe the story would have been different.

But as it stood, things changed for the worse in the second half. The Pistons put together a 38-point third quarter, outscoring the Cavs by 13 in that period. Then it was just about staging another monstrous comeback. The Cavs did come within two points after Donovan Mitchell hit a running three-pointer after a Pistons miss.

But then the home team put together a game-sealing run that would end the Cavaliers’ ambitions of another comeback victory.

The Cavaliers shot themselves

Energy and late-game execution, have been some of the troubles the Cleveland Cavaliers have faced all season. After cutting the deficit to two points, missed free throws and sloppy play opened the game up for the Pistons. But the Cavs are starting to grow concerns in an area they have excelled in all season.

According to Atkinson, this mistake is the “worst possible outcome”. It’s the issue of turning the ball over frequently. Tonight, the Cavaliers recorded 16 turnovers. Their defense did a better job of forcing errors. But the Pistons are a punishing team. They scored 25 fast break points, one of the main reasons behind the Cavaliers’ stunning loss.

And Kenny Atkinson knows how turnovers can wound teams. He credited the Pistons’ physicality and engaged defense for the Cavaliers’ poor ball security today. “I felt like we turned it over and it was a layup drill. It’s like you’re right I think the turnovers are a big thing. I think their physicality caused a lot of it, their activity,” the head coach said.

But there is a positive. With the number one seed secured, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ primary objective in these last few games is to prepare for the postseason. Atkinson thought the style of play the Pistons brandished tonight was “playoff basketball”. This form of preparation could help strengthen the team’s mentality to prepare for what’s to come.

The Cavaliers have found success both at home and on the road this season. Hence, if they can gain some playoff experience against rivals who are motivated to beat them, it might be a good outcome. But it’s vital that they find ways to win such games because if not, then the playoffs could be tricky.