If the Cleveland Cavaliers end up winning their second-round series and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals, it can be said that Max Strus stole it from right under the Detroit Pistons’ noses.
The Cavs won a crucial Game 5, 117-113, on Wednesday, May 13, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to take a 3-2 series lead. They’ll have a chance to take out the Pistons in Game 6 on Friday night (7 p.m., Prime Video) at Rocket Arena.
It was the Cavs’ first win on the road in the 2026 playoffs. And it was the second time in three games Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson credited a Strus steal as the biggest play of the game.
With 2:39 left in overtime and the Cavs leading by two, Donovan Mitchell drilled a 3-pointer – his first 3 of the entire night – to put Cleveland up 110-105. The ball was inbounded to Cade Cunningham with the Pistons desperately needing to answer on the other end of the floor. Except Cunningham never made it that far with the ball.
Instead, Strus ran behind Cunningham and poked the ball away for a steal, and a moment later hit Mitchell with a bounce pass for an easy layup. Within a matter of seconds, a tight two-point advantage became a commanding seven-point lead. It was the sequence that broke Detroit’s back.
“Max Strus’ steal. It just came out of nowhere,” Atkinson said when asked about the biggest play of the game. “I don’t know what the spread was there but I just felt that was — the crowd, like, gasped. It was a huge play. He made so many winning plays tonight but that was the big one.”
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Max Strus provides grit to Cavs in playoffs
Strus also made arguably the biggest play of the game with a late steal in Game 3, when the Cavs were down 0-2 in the series. In both cases, they might have saved the Cavs’ playoff hopes.
In this case, his impact wasn’t only marked by that key swipe.
Strus was brilliant on the offensive end for the Cavs as well, scoring 20 points while making 6 of 8 3-point attempts, along with eight rebounds and his back-breaking steal-and-dish to Mitchell. The six 3s were especially needed considering Mitchell opened the game 0 for 7 from 3-point range, leaving a scoring void.
When asked what Strus meant to the team, Mitchell said, “Everything.”
“I’ve said it since we got him here,” Mitchell continued. “I think the biggest thing is, he was due to have a game where he made some shots. He was always going to make plays. He’s … made plays throughout this entire series. But it’s great to see the shots go in along with the effort.”
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The Cavs have long battled narratives relating to their lack of grit and physicality in the playoffs, as a team that lacks edge and attitude compared to some other contenders in the East. Strus is someone who brings that element to the locker room, along with Dennis Schröder and a few others. Atkinson also put James Harden in that category.
“[Strus] has been a nasty character, and I love it,” Atkinson said. “Like, we need that. Dennis is little like that, too. I think it rubs off. James is a tough dude, too. I know that’s not his reputation because he’s such a skilled player, but there’s no – he’s tough as nails. It’s kind of those three guys.”
Harden made a few big-time hustle plays, including off his own missed free throw in overtime.
He sunk the first free throw to make it 114-111 Cavs with 24.4 seconds left. He back-rimmed the second, offering the Pistons a brief window to tie it at the other end should they grab the ball. Except Harden pounced on the rebound off his own miss, forcing another foul and a free throw that then made it a two-possession game.
After the game, Mitchell jokingly gave Harden a hard time for missing that free throw. But that one hustle play on the rebound made up for it, and it’s the type of key play that has gone against the Cavs in recent playoff exits.
“I don’t know – luck, maybe,” Harden said with a shrug. “You got to make your free throws. … I felt like it was a few things or a few opportunities that I missed, whether it’s free throws, floaters, shots, whatever the case may be, but it’s part of the game.”
Ryan Lewis covers the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Max Strus is the new Pistons killer and he did it with guile
Reporting by Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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