Cade Cunningham's heroics are one of the biggest reasons for the Detroit Pistons season remaining alive up to this point, but over the last couple of games, the first-round hero is starting to prove he's human after all.
The star guard has played at an MVP-caliber level this season, and through the first two rounds of the playoffs, he's somehow managed to elevate his game even further.
Offensively, the young playmaker has been the key for Detroit to keep pace with the Cleveland Cavaliers in this series, which, after Cunningham's round 1 showing against the Orlando Magic, shouldn't come as a surprise.
However, in the last two games, Cunningham's ongoing turnover issues have been a problem that has seemingly put the Pistons in the danger zone moving forward.
Cade Cunningham's turnovers have been costly
In Game 3, there was a key stretch in the fourth quarter where Cunningham committed three straight live-ball turnovers that swung the momentum back in the Cavaliers' favor.
After finishing Game 3 with eight turnovers, it was clear that a point of emphasis for the star guard entering Game 4 would be to take care of the ball, especially considering how hostile the road environment can be to impact a game dictated by runs.
Instead, the Oklahoma State product followed up his sloppy decision-making in Game 3 with yet another brutal performance on Monday night.
Obviously, with how much the ball is in Cunningham's hands, turnovers should be expected.
At the same time, though, in a series against a team that closely matches up with the Pistons, these games will be won by who can dominate the margins, and with Cunningham contributing to the turnover problem haunting Detroit, it makes it hard to win on the road.
Now, the Pistons are forced to fight with their backs against the wall...again.
Detroit enters Game 5 with their season essentially on the line
Following Monday's win for the Cavaliers, Cleveland has improved to 6-0 at home in the postseason.
Detroit, on the other hand, has already shown their inconsistency to win at home, which alone increases the risks about the implications of Game 5.
The Pistons enter a do-or-die situation and even if it may not seriously be one, they have to treat it as such because there's a real concern that the momentum is too far in favor of the Cavs now.
To make matters worse, the New York Knicks are awaiting the winner of this series with rest in their favor and plenty of time to scout their next opponent.
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