The Cavs Just Killed the Soft Label and Woke Up Cleveland in One Night
The Cavs Just Killed the Soft Label and Woke Up Cleveland in One Night  
Podcast: The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima
Published On: Thu May 14 2026
Description: Ken and Lima are absolutely buzzing after the Cavs rallied from nine points down with two and a half minutes left in regulation to beat Detroit in overtime, with Ken calling it the most inspiring win he has seen from this version of the Cavs and arguing it may have finally bought back the trust of a fan base that has been skeptical all season. James Harden played 43 minutes and stuffed the stat sheet, Max Struess came off the bench to score 20 points and made a crucial steal in overtime, and Evan Mobley finally showed a nasty streak that had been missing, getting cut up in the process but refusing to back down. Ken and Lima both agree that the soft label is officially dead after a night where Detroit fans ended up complaining that the Cavs were too physical, and that winning this kind of ugly, gritty road game in overtime might actually do more for the fan base's trust than a blowout win ever could. Ken closes by setting his sights on Friday's closeout game, fully believing the series ends in Cleveland.