Dan Gilbert is reportedly making sure the Cleveland Cavaliers do not face Game 2 alone in Detroit.
The Cavaliers owner is sending multiple buses filled with Cavs season-ticket holders to Little Caesars Arena for Thursday night’s playoff matchup against the Detroit Pistons, with expenses paid, according to LockedOnCavs’ Danny Cunningham. Hoops Wire’s Sam Amico also reported that the arrangement included transportation, tickets and stops along the way.
It is a notable gesture on its own. It also comes at a meaningful moment in the series.
The Cavaliers dropped Game 1 in Detroit, 111-101, and now enter Game 2 trying to avoid heading back to Cleveland in a 0-2 hole. Cade Cunningham scored 23 points and Tobias Harris added 20 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons in the opener, while Donovan Mitchell scored 23 and James Harden added 22 for Cleveland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers Have Reportedly Paid for Fans to Bus to Game 2
Cunningham posted on X that he had heard Gilbert was “sending multiple busses” filled with Cavaliers season-ticket holders to Game 2 in Detroit, calling it a “very nice gesture.”
Hoops Wire cited Cunningham’s post and added that video from the trip had begun circulating before tipoff, with Cleveland fans making the trip north for the second game of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
For Gilbert, who lives in Michigan and has long been closely tied to both Detroit and Cleveland sports business circles, the reported move is more than a nice visual. It gives the Cavaliers a small pocket of support in an opposing arena at a point in the postseason when even the margins around the game matter.
The Cavs do not need a road crowd to fix what happened in Game 1. They need better offense, cleaner spacing, fewer turnovers and stronger defensive rebounding. But playoff environments matter, and Detroit’s crowd had plenty to celebrate in the opener.
The Pistons forced 19 Cleveland turnovers and turned them into 31 points in Game 1. Detroit also closed the game with an 18-8 run after Cleveland had tied it midway through the fourth quarter.
Gilbert’s gambit could be a postseason road-game push before a matchup that can change the tone of the series.
Cavaliers-Pistons Game 2 Packs Intrigue
The Cavaliers-Pistons series already has several layers beyond the usual second-round stakes.
Detroit is trying to prove Game 1 was not simply a hot start at home. The Pistons snapped a 12-game playoff losing streak against Cleveland with the win, and the franchise earned its first Game 1 playoff victory since 2008.
Cleveland, meanwhile, is trying to settle the series before it becomes a true uphill climb. Fear the Sword noted that the Cavaliers entered Game 2 having struggled on the road in the playoffs since trading for Mitchell, and that going back to Cleveland down 2-0 would force the Cavs to win four of the final five games to advance.
How To Watch/Stream Cavaliers-Pistons on Prime Video
Game 2 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, at 7 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The game is set to stream on Prime Video. The Pistons as 3.5-point favorites and noted that Sam Merrill was questionable for Cleveland with a hamstring issue, while Kevin Huerter was doubtful for Detroit with an abductor strain.
For Cavaliers fans making the trip, the hope is simple: leave Detroit with the series tied.
For Gilbert, the reported bus plan is a way to bring a piece of Cleveland into the building before one of the Cavaliers’ most important road games of the season.
Cleveland Cavaliers Make Big Move Before Pistons Game: Report