Cavaliers and Pistons head to Game 7 in Detroit; Knicks will await the winner after rest

The New York Knicks reached the Eastern Conference finals days ago and entered Sunday still waiting to learn where and against whom they will open the series. The delay comes because the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers split the first six games of their semifinal and pushed the matchup to Game 7. The NBA’s official playoff schedule lists the deciding game for Sunday, May 17, at 8 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The league has not yet posted the full Eastern Conference finals schedule, saying it will be updated after the previous round ends. ### Why are the Knicks still waiting while the West is already set? New York finished its semifinal quickly, sweeping Philadelphia 4-0 to become the first East team into the conference finals. Oklahoma City and San Antonio have already been slotted into the Western Conference finals, with Game 1 set for Monday, May 18, according to the NBA’s playoff page. The East bracket remains open because Detroit and Cleveland are tied 3-3. (nba.com) The NBA’s schedule page says the conference finals schedule “will be updated at the conclusion of the previous round.” That means New York’s next game was still not formally posted by the league as of the latest update on May 16. ### What exactly is set for Game 7 in Detroit? Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, at 8 p.m. ET, with Prime Video listed as the broadcaster on the NBA playoff page. (nba.com) Detroit is the home team for the decider, and the series page lists the matchup as No. 1 Pistons against No. 4 Cavaliers. The six completed games produced a 3-3 split after Detroit won Game 1 and Game 2, Cleveland answered with wins in Games 3, 4 and 5, and the Pistons forced the decider with a 115-94 win in Game 6. (nba.com) The league’s series page lists Detroit at 109.7 points per game in the series and Cleveland at 106.2. ### Which players have defined the series going into Sunday? (nba.com) Cade Cunningham entered Game 7 as Detroit’s statistical leader in the series at 25.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, according to NBA.com. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland at 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Game 6 turned on Detroit’s response in Cleveland. (nba.com) The NBA series page says the Pistons won that game by 21 points to bring the matchup back to Michigan for the deciding game. ### Where would the Knicks go next depending on the winner? Detroit would host New York in the Eastern Conference finals if the top-seeded Pistons advance, because home-court advantage follows seeding. (nba.com) Cleveland, listed as the No. 4 seed, would travel to New York if the Cavaliers win because the Knicks are the No. 3 seed. That home-road setup follows directly from the seeding shown on the NBA playoff bracket. (nba.com) The bracket also makes clear that Sunday’s winner becomes New York’s conference finals opponent. The Knicks are already locked into the East final slot opposite “DET/CLE” on the official league page. ### When will the Eastern Conference finals schedule become official? The NBA said on its playoff schedule page that the Eastern Conference finals dates and times remain “TBD” until the semifinal ends. (nba.com) The same page already lists every game in the Western Conference finals, underscoring that the East schedule is being held until after Sunday night’s result. Sunday’s Game 7 in Detroit is the next fixed milestone. After that result, the league is expected to update the East finals page with Game 1, Game 2 and the rest of the series dates involving the Knicks and either the Pistons or Cavaliers. (nba.com)