For Cavaliers to make this a series, Donovan Mitchell will have to lead them — again

DETROIT — These are the moments they pictured. That’s what they told us. When the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired James Harden at the trade deadline, it was for nights like this.

“I’m really excited about when it gets to a chaotic time in the playoffs, and we’re on the road, and it’s a fever pitch, being able to throw the ball to him and calm this thing down,” Cavs president Koby Altman said after acquiring Harden. “Let’s get a good possession. Let’s get a good possession when it gets really, really tight and it’s loud in that building.”

Yeah, about that …

It isn’t working. It was a valiant effort, but the idea of Harden leading a plodding, iso-heavy offense against Detroit’s half-court defense is playing the Cavaliers out of the postseason. Harden looks old and slow against the young, relentless Detroit Pistons defenders who bring long arms and twitchy legs that the Cavs haven’t matched.

If they are going to do this, if the Cavaliers are going to dig out of this 0-2 hole when the series shifts back to Cleveland this weekend, it will be up to the person it always lands on in times like these.

Donovan Mitchell, yet again, will have to get them there.

They tried running the offense through Evan Mobley early in the season with little success. Then it was Harden after the trade deadline. The Cavs scrapped their tempo, motion offense in favor of the slower style Harden prefers.

The Cavs ranked 10th in pace last season and were eighth this year before the Harden trade. They were 20th after Harden arrived. It was actually admirable how smooth the transition was in stripping the transmission in the middle of the season, but now it isn’t working.

Harden is too often dribbling into trouble and can’t get out of it against these Pistons defenders. The Cavaliers are a pick-and-roll heavy team that likes to spray to the shooters, but Detroit is limiting the roll opportunities and the Cavs are missing shots at an alarming rate.

Cleveland is shooting 33 percent from 3 this postseason, the lowest percentage of any team still playing. The idea that Detroit, one of the league’s lowest volume 3-point shooting teams during the regular season, could outshoot the Cavs from 3 in a playoff game was unthinkable right up until it happened in Game 2.

For the second time in as many games in this series and for the 30th time in his career, Harden finished a playoff game with more turnovers than baskets in the Cavs’ 107-97 loss on Thursday.

Through two games, he has nine baskets and 11 turnovers. He is a minus-22 in the series.

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson blamed himself for Harden only getting three shots in the second half, but the reality is the offense flowed better when Harden was off the ball.

The game flipped in the third quarter when Detroit’s best defender, Ausar Thompson, left early with his fourth foul and the Cavs took the ball from Harden.

Mitchell and Dennis Schröder were the primary initiators in the third quarter when the Cavs pushed the tempo and scored 32 points, their best quarter of the series and the only quarter they won Thursday night. That appears to be their best path forward if they’re going to make this a series. Give the ball back to Mitchell and let Harden fit in where he can.

Mitchell hasn’t looked like himself for much of this postseason. Whether he’s hobbling or he was just disjointed by Toronto’s unorthodox blitz schemes, Mitchell never looked comfortable against the Raptors. That continued into Game 1 against Detroit on Tuesday.

He finally started to play like himself again in Game 2, getting to the paint and attacking the basket. His 31 points were his most since Game 1 against Toronto, although he (like the rest of the roster) continues to struggle badly from 3.

Atkinson lamented the Cavs getting crushed in rebounding, particularly giving the Pistons so many second-chance opportunities on 12 offensive rebounds. Mobley grabbing just one rebound in a playoff game is unacceptable. But Harden running the offense isn’t giving them much of a chance, either.

“I think we found some stuff tonight that gives us some positive feeling going into Game 3,” Atkinson said.

He was referring to winning the possession battle and only turning the ball over twice in the second half. It’s fair to wonder if he liked what he saw from Mitchell and Schröder initiating to let them do it again.

In the game’s final minute, with the Cavs down six and needing a basket, Harden took an inbounds pass and dribbled across half court while Mitchell frantically scrambled to get open. Harden briefly passed to Jarrett Allen, who drew a double team, and Allen quickly flipped it back. As Mitchell ran through the lane, he curled to the corner and back to the wing. Harden kept dribbling, dribbling, dribbling …

When he dribbled into Thompson, Mitchell’s defender, Thompson stripped him of the ball as Harden fell over, committing his fourth and final turnover and eliminating any chance at a Cavs comeback.

Harden sat helplessly on the court as Thompson picked up the ball, essentially securing the victory.

The building was loud, but it wasn’t the good possession the Cavs were hoping to get when they brought Harden here. Everyone knew the risks in trading for him. Everyone knew his reputation. Harden has produced plenty of great playoff games in his career, but this wasn’t one of them.

The game essentially ended with Harden on the floor, looking up at the Pistons. Now the Cavs are, too. If they’re going to get back in this series, he doesn’t appear to be the one who will get them there.