The Cleveland Cavaliers finally broke through and won their first playoff game on the road in this year’s playoffs, and that could not have come at a better time as they’ve now taken a 3-2 series lead in their semifinal clash against the Detroit Pistons courtesy of a 117-113 OT win in Game 5. They had to pull a rabbit out of their hat to break their duck, and that’s exactly what they did when they stormed back from a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes to send the game to overtime.
It helped as well that the Cavs had plenty of traveling support, with hundreds of Cavs fans making the trip from Cleveland to Detroit to be in attendance in Little Caesars Arena in Game 5. After the game, Donovan Mitchell expressed his gratitude for the amazing effort those fans had as they showed up for their team in a big way in their all-important Game 5 victory.
“I think that to see that, to hear that when we came out for warmups, it felt like we were at home. Shout out to every Cavs fan, that’s huge, man. It’s a big part of why we do what we do. I love this place man,” Mitchell told reporters after the game, via Spencer German of 92.3 The Fan.
Donovan Mitchell on the Cavs fans getting bussed to Detroit to support the Cavs for Game 5:
"I love this place man" pic.twitter.com/7AXFrv9aWo
— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) May 14, 2026
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Cavs owner Dan Gilbert made an effort to send 400 diehard fans of the team to Little Caesars Arena, and they happily made the 2.5 hour trip as they saw their team perform a miracle by locking in when it mattered the most.
Considering how much trouble playing on the road has given the Cavs in this year’s playoffs, Gilbert must have recognized the urgency of the situation and did whatever he could to make his team much more comfortable. And now, they’re one win away from making it back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in the post-LeBron James era.