The Cleveland Cavaliers secured a convincing road victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. With a 125-94 win, the Cavaliers officially booked their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals, where they will face the New York Knicks.
Donovan Mitchell was the game's brightest star, scoring 26 points to lead all players. Jarrett Allen continued his impressive late-series form with 23 points, outperforming his direct counterpart Jalen Duren (7 points). Sam Merrill also contributed significantly with 23 points off the bench, while Evan Mobley recorded his first double-double of the series with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
This marks the sixth consecutive Game 7 victory for the Cavaliers, dating back to 2008. They dominated the game with a 50.6% shooting percentage (43-of-85) compared to the Pistons' 35.3% (30-of-85), and also outrebounded their opponents 50-41.
The Cavaliers built a 20-point lead in the first quarter, extended it to 26 points in the third quarter, and comfortably maintained the advantage until the final buzzer. This is Cleveland's first trip to the Eastern Conference finals since they defeated the Boston Celtics in seven games in 2018.
For the Detroit Pistons, this marks the 18th consecutive year they have failed to reach the Eastern Conference finals. Cade Cunningham, the team's All-Star, had a disappointing night with just 13 points and missed all seven three-point attempts. Tobias Harris also struggled, failing to score on six field goal attempts and finishing with just 5 points.
Daniss Jenkins led the Pistons in scoring with 17 points and 5 assists, while Duncan Robinson added 13 points and Caris LeVert chipped in 11. Jalen Duren led the team in rebounds with 9.
After the game, Donovan Mitchell expressed excitement but emphasized the need for discipline: "It's great. I'm excited, believe me. But we have to be more disciplined. We shouldn't have to wait until we get beaten to react."
Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff congratulated the Cavaliers and warned Eastern Conference teams: "We knew this would be a tough series. They played better. Tip your hat to them. Just like last year, we'll learn from this and come back stronger next year."
The Eastern Conference finals series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks will begin Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
