The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 on May 17 in Detroit to eliminate the Eastern Conference top seed from the NBA playoffs and advance to the Eastern Conference finals [1, 2]. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 26 points, while Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Sam Merrill also scored over 20 points each [1, 2].
The Cavaliers overcame a 2-0 series deficit to win the series 4-3 against the Pistons, a major comeback in the best-of-seven matchup [3, 1, 4]. Cleveland’s first road playoff win this season came in Game 5 on May 13, with a 117-113 overtime victory fueled by James Harden’s 30 points [5, 6]. Before that game, the Cavaliers were 0-5 in road playoff games this season [3, 4].
Detroit entered the playoffs with a regular season record of 60-22, the best in the Eastern Conference, but struggled to maintain consistency in the series [1, 2, 4]. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham scored a team-high 39 points in Game 5 but struggled to sustain strong performances [5, 6]. Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, "We’re not going to go down without a fight. That’s just who we are," emphasizing the team’s resilience despite elimination [6].
The Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson praised Harden’s impact since joining the team in February. Atkinson said, "He adds a maturity and a poise, calmness to our group, which we needed" [5, 6]. Mitchel’s dominant play included scoring 21 points in the third quarter of Game 4 and leading Cleveland overall in scoring for the series [3, 5, 1, 6].
Cleveland will face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, with the series starting May 27 [1, 7]. The Knicks held a commanding 2-0 lead entering today after a 115-104 overtime win in Game 1 and a 109-93 victory in Game 2 [8, 9, 10, 11]. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said the team is focused on growth: "The most important thing is that we’re growing and learning together... we’re open to learning, open to getting better" [10].
Miles McBride of the Cavaliers said the team is determined to keep its focus: "Getting to the Eastern Conference finals isn’t the final goal" [7]. The Knicks are riding a 10-game playoff winning streak with a plus-221 point differential through 12 postseason games, setting franchise records [10, 11].
