The Cleveland Cavaliers did not just commit a heist in Detroit on Wednesday night; they discovered something special; Yankee Scores report. 

Leading the series 3-2, Cleveland returns to its own arena for Game 6, with sights set on advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, buoyed by a newfound spirit of tenacity and toughness, according to head coach Kenny Atkinson, who believes it marks a definitive shift in the team’s playoff history.

Atkinson Waxes Lyrical

It was the heist at the end of the game that served as the strongest indication of how far the team had come under the leadership of head coach Kenny Atkinson.

“That stretch right there says a lot about our progress,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “[Our] mental toughness progress … these guys, they never get down.”

Donovan Mitchell believes that the comeback has instilled in them what they needed in order to endure the intense pressure in Game 5.

Mitchell Hails Mental Fortitude

“Just the mental fortitude,” Cavs star Donovan Mitchell said. “Being able to understand, like I always talk about, you have something to pull from. You have a situation in Games 1 and 2 where you find — we’ve been here before.”

The Cavaliers did not give up, and they bounced back by Max Strus, who provided an enormous boost with six triples in the process.

“Resiliency, grit, take everything we had,” Strus said. “It wasn’t our best night offensively, but I think that’s what speaks volumes to getting this win, was we found a way.”

Although Donovan Mitchell was clearly the main player on the court—making an astonishing 39 points in the first half of Game 4—James Harden proved to be the man to watch in Game 5, scoring a playoff-high of 30 points, including his contribution in overtime. Speaking about the game, Harden noted that playing in new places can be quite difficult during the playoffs.

Now the Cavaliers will be returning home to play Game 6 on Friday.

“The biggest thing is just not get too high, get too low,” said Mitchell, who has never made the conference finals. “At the end of the day, it’s 3-2. The series is not over by any means. It was great to get one on the road. Yay, whoop-de-do. But we got to protect home court.”

The “Unsung Hero”

“I don’t know if there’s necessarily one word,” Harden said when describing Strus’ impact. “One night he might have five points, but I think the things that he’s doing doesn’t necessarily show up on a stat sheet across the board. …

He finds another level to go out there and compete at a high level and then turn around offensively and make shots. So he’s a guy that you can plug and play anywhere, and he’s going to be effective in the game. And he showed up big time tonight.”

Harden’s Evolution in the Land

“This is new for me,” Harden said after the game. “I’ve only been here 2½ months, you know what I mean? So, the things that we were going through is all new. Learning how to be a second option and feed and play off Donovan, when to be aggressive when he has it going.

Last game, second half, he did some things that we haven’t seen in a very, very long time. And he’s capable of doing that every single game.

“So, finding when to be aggressive, wanting to be a playmaker and things like that. And then offensively finding what works for us. For me, to be successful, to get guys shots and open looks. I think we’re building in the right direction.

And throughout that process, there’s going to be sometimes where we don’t look as great, but I think overall we all have the right mindset of wanting to help each other do better.”