The Cleveland Cavaliers proved something crucial in their Game 4 win over the Detroit Pistons: they can match the physicality. Now, the question is whether they can do it again three times in the next four games.

In a pivotal moment late in the second quarter, Donovan Mitchell chased Pistons sharpshooter Duncan Robinson around screens to the baseline corner. Mitchell beat him to the spot and bumped him into his own bench—a punishment for making him work so hard defensively. Isaiah Stewart, standing nearby, gave Mitchell a light shove in response. Mitchell looked up, returned the favor, and kept chasing Robinson around the perimeter.

That sequence encapsulated exactly what Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson wanted to see. Before the 116-109 Game 3 win, Atkinson emphasized the need for his team to adapt to Detroit's physicality and the referees' whistle. Plays like that showed his message was received.

Basketball isn't always won by the more physical team—it's a contact sport that rewards size and strength, but the final score comes down to who puts the ball through the hoop more consistently. However, in a series like this, doing that is much easier when you can get into the paint and create from there.

The Cavs couldn't do that in the first two games. Their offense was stagnant, often relying on guards to create against a set defense. When the ball kicked out to the perimeter for open threes, the shots weren't falling—a common result when an offense moves side-to-side instead of north and south.

Game 3 was a different story. Cleveland became the aggressors, completing more shots in the restricted area and getting to the free-throw line more consistently—both things they failed to do in the first two games of the series.

This was most evident with Mitchell. After taking just one shot at the rim combined in the first two games, he went 6-of-8 on rim attempts in Game 3. A renewed focus on getting downhill woke up what had been a dormant Cavs offense. The decisiveness was there—instead of probing the defense for an opening in search of a perfect shot, Mitchell attacked whenever he had any daylight.