Cavaliers win Game 7 to clinch Eastern Conference Finals berth

The Cleveland Cavaliers moved into the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday, May 17, with a 125-94 Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons, closing out their semifinal series 4-3. NBA.com’s playoff recap listed Donovan Mitchell and James Harden as the leaders of Cleveland’s road win, while the league schedule updated later Sunday showed the Cavaliers advancing to face the New York Knicks. The result completed the NBA’s final four, with the Knicks and Cavaliers in the East and the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the West. The East finals are scheduled to begin Tuesday, May 19, in New York. ### How did Cleveland get through a seven-game series? Game 7 ended with Cleveland winning by 31 points on the road, according to NBA.com’s live recap. The league’s playoff schedule page listed the Cavaliers as winners of Games 3, 4, 5 and 7 after dropping the first two games of the series in Detroit. The series turned after Cleveland lost 111-101 in Game 1 and 107-97 in Game 2, then responded with three straight wins. NBA.com’s schedule page showed the Cavaliers taking Game 3 by seven points, Game 4 by nine and Game 5 in overtime before Detroit forced a deciding game with a 115-94 victory in Game 6. ### Who drove the Game 7 win? NBA.com said Mitchell and Harden guided Cleveland in the clincher, and its recap also highlighted the frontcourt production behind them. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen combined for 44 points and 19 rebounds in Game 7, according to the league’s postgame update. Sam Merrill added five 3-pointers, NBA.com said, as Cleveland stretched the margin and emptied the benches late in the fourth quarter. The final score on the league recap was 125-94, a larger margin than any other game in the series. ### Why is this berth notable for Cleveland? NBA.com described the win as Cleveland’s first trip to the Eastern Conference finals since 2018. That gives the Cavaliers a return to the conference’s final round eight years after their last appearance there. The path was also unusual because Cleveland came through two seven-game series. ESPN’s postseason schedule page showed the Cavaliers beating Toronto 4-3 in the first round before going the distance again against Detroit in the conference semifinals. ### What is set in the Eastern Conference finals? The next matchup is Cleveland against New York, with the Knicks entering as the No. 3 seed and the Cavaliers as the No. 4 seed, according to NBA.com’s playoff bracket. New York reached the conference finals by sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 in the other East semifinal, the league schedule showed. Game 1 of the East finals is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, at 8 p.m. Eastern in New York, according to NBA.com’s playoff schedule. Game 2 is set for Thursday, May 21, also in New York, before the series shifts to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on May 23 and May 25. ### What does the rest of the playoff picture look like? The Western Conference finals open Monday, May 18, with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the San Antonio Spurs, according to NBA.com’s schedule. Oklahoma City reached that round by sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0, while San Antonio beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2. The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin June 3 on ABC, the league schedule said. If the East finals go the distance, Game 7 between Cleveland and New York is set for Sunday, May 31, in New York, with the winner advancing to face either Oklahoma City or San Antonio.