Commentary: Cavaliers survive chaotic ending for memorable, perhaps momentous victory

Kids, do not try this at home. These men are trained professionals, and they are now just one win away from eliminating their former head coach's team. Final score: Cavs 117, Pistons 113. This wasn't a game, this was an endurance test, and the Cavs passed in flying colors, including a fourth quarter and overtime that were almost too chaotic to digest. In a game in which Cavs magician Donovan Mitchell had to out-Donovan himself to win, Mitchell did exactly that, and in the process left the Detroit faithful with nothing to cheer about, including this: Cavs 117, Pistons 113. Don't ask how, just enjoy the scenery. It was a game with more U-turns and air balls than you could shake a stick at, but when all the hardcourt shenanigans were completed, it was the Cavs who were the last team standing, and it was the Pistons fan base that went trudging up the stairs and out into another cold Michigan night. On this night, it was the home team that was the wrong team. Somehow, some way, Kenny's Kids pulled the winning rabbit out of their hats, and all of a sudden it's the Pistons, not the Cavs, who are waist-deep in high water. Cavs fans? Somebody better check the Detroit arena because this was a Cleveland win that, you could argue, will go down as one of the most insane yet exhilarating finishes that the Cavs have ever finished. The last team standing was the Cavs, but not before so many twists and turns and foul calls, and air balls, made it almost impossible to follow the plot. But never mind that. The good guys won, and the Cavs are just one win away from sending the Pistons to bed without their dinner. The Cavs? Hooo, boy! There were tons of twists and turns throughout the game, but it was the finish of all finishes that mattered most. Nobody saw it coming, and only half of the hometown crowd realized its team had lost when the scoreboard flickered off one last time: Cleveland 117, Detroit 113. The Cavs are still alive, even if Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his players can't figure out how they lost that game. Don't even try to explain it. In the last three minutes of the game there was more really good and really bad basketball to spread around the Detroit arena in which you couldn't tell the fouls, the free throws, or whatever else that was before the buzzer sounded, the Detroit crowd cringed and the Gang from The Land exploded with joy in the arena, while the losing team shuffled quietly off the stage. It was a finish for the ages, and it needed to be, because these teams have a lot in common, except for Wednesday night, when the Cavs had more in common with winning than did the Pistons, who went home as the vanquished. By now, of course, the Cavs have this winning and losing thing pretty much under control, although that doesn't always stop them from occasionally hatching a "where did that come from?" strategy. There was some of that Wednesday night, but not enough of it to torpedo the Ohio players from putting the hay in the barn and walking off the court with their chests out. Kenny's Kids are nothing if not good listeners, and they were apparently all ears in this game, which couldn't make up its mind about who should actually, you know, win the game. Indeed, when all the cheering finally faded, it was the Cavs, and their fans, who left the arena with their chests out. Indeed, there was a certain "can you believe we actually won this game?" vibe once the Cavs players and fans reluctantly traipsed out of the arena and into the cold, dark night. It was a wild and woolly and at times wobbly finish for the Ohio players and their fans. But they managed to eventually put the car in the garage — dents and all — and all of a sudden, in the land of "The Land" there are whispers that, believe it or not, the best is yet to come. Time will tell about that. But for at least the next couple of days, the Cavs, and their fans, can enjoy one of the great wins in franchise history. Contact Jim Ingraham at jingraham4@gmail.com.