Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each added 23, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday night in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
Cavaliers Clinch Series with Blowout Victory
The fourth-seeded Cavaliers ousted the East's top seed and will face the third-seeded New York Knicks. Game 1 of the series tips off on Tuesday in New York.
Daniss Jenkins scored 17 points, and Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson each finished with 13 for the Pistons, who fell one win shy of their first conference finals appearance since 2008 after forcing the deciding game with a Game 6 victory on Friday night.
"That game sucked," said Cunningham, who was held 16 points under his playoff average. "Being back home, wanted to get this win in front of our fans. It reminded me of last year, losing on home court. It's not a great feeling."
Mitchell Leads Cavs to Historic Run
Evan Mobley had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2018 and the ninth time in team history. It's their deepest run since LeBron James's final season with the franchise.
"We didn't just come here just to win a goal," Mitchell said about making the conference finals for the first time in his career. "Even last year, when we lost to Indiana, we had our goals set on getting to the [NBA] finals. We're just one step closer."
The Cavs dictated the pace from the opening tip and never allowed the Pistons to gain traction, then blew open a convincing Game 7 performance when Mitchell scored 15 in the third quarter.
Pistons' Progress Praised Despite Loss
Detroit were outscored in the paint 58-34 and made only 35.3% of their field goal attempts, compared to Cleveland's 50.6%.
"When we play with force, it's really a key," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "Force on both ends with our talent, we're really hard to beat."
The abrupt ending to the Pistons' season came just two years after they endured one of the worst seasons in NBA history. The Pistons finished 14-68 during the 2023-24 season and set an NBA single-season record with 28 consecutive losses before emerging this year as one of the league's biggest surprises under coach JB Bickerstaff.
Despite Sunday's lopsided defeat, Bickerstaff refused to call the ending a disappointment. "It's not a disappointment at all," Bickerstaff said. "These guys every single day give us what they got. So it is not a disappointment. It's a loss, and it's a tough loss."
Bickerstaff repeatedly praised the growth and resilience of a roster that rapidly developed into a contender. "This team is awesome, and they're a special group of guys," he said. "I couldn't be more appreciative of how they allow us to coach them, work with them every single day."
