Donovan Mitchell Points Out One Glaring Issue Cavs Still Need To Fix After Game 5 Win

As the Cleveland Cavaliers return home for Game 6 against the Detroit Pistons, they're aware of one glaring concern.

May 11, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) is interviewed after the Cavaliers game four win against the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally won a road game in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the No. 1 seeded Detroit Pistons. Although the Cavs had a huge comeback in the second half of the game at Little Caesars Arena, they certainly didn't make things easy on themselves.

At one point in the second quarter, the Cavaliers were trailing the Pistons by 15 points, and the reason was the Cavs inability to hold onto the basketball.

The Cavs had 10 turnovers in the first half, while the Pistons had six. That isn't a huge difference but, the problem was that the Pistons had a 20-2 advantage with points off of turnovers.

In the second half, the Cavaliers flipped the switch and did a significantly better job holding onto the ball. In the second half and overtime, the Cavs won the turnover battle with seven compared to Detroits nine, and had a 14-7 advantage on points off of turnovers during that timeframe as well. This allowed the Cavaliers to secure their biggest win in the post-LeBron James era.

When the Cavs are in sync, and value the ball, they're a hard team to beat and that's exactly what we saw after halftime.

Donovan Mitchell knows Cavaliers turnovers are a concern

After the Cavs were able to pull off the win, mainly thanks to Mitchell's stepping up for the team in overtime, Cleveland's superstar made an appearance on ESPN's "Inside the NBA," where Hall of Famer Charles Barkley asked Mitchell if the Cavs ever talk about their turnovers as a team.

"We do, we definitely do," Mitchell said in response. "I'm not making excuses, we need to be better I'm gonna start right there, but a lot of it too is when you bring in new guys, a guy like James (Harden), you gotta figure out positioning."

Mitchell explained that Cleveland's backcourt owns the turnovers and the turnovers have been on the ball handler as much as they've been on guys spacing the floor in the proper spots.

The Cavs know that when they are settled down, and able to move the ball, they will be such a difficult team to beat.

While the Pistons will continue to complain about free throw disparity, and not take blame themselves for giving the game away, the Cavaliers know that this is their time to advance farther than they ever have in this era, and they are just one win away from a date with the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.