Eastern Conference finals slated to begin May 18 if Pistons beat Cavaliers

The NBA’s official playoff schedule shows the Eastern Conference finals bracket still open on Sunday, with Detroit and Cleveland set to play Game 7 on May 17 and New York already through to the next round. The league’s schedule page, updated May 16, lists “DET/CLE vs. New York” for the East final and says the conference finals schedule will be updated at the conclusion of the previous round. That means the Knicks are waiting on the winner of Sunday night’s deciding game between the Pistons and Cavaliers. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern in Detroit and will air on Prime Video. ### When is the deciding game between Detroit and Cleveland? Sunday, May 17, is the date the NBA lists for Game 7 between Cleveland and Detroit. The league schedule says Cleveland will play at Detroit at 8 p.m. ET, with the series tied 3-3. The 3-3 scoreline follows Detroit’s win in Game 6, which forced the series back to Michigan for a deciding game. (nba.com) The NBA’s playoff page records the semifinal results as Pistons wins in Games 1, 2 and 6, and Cavaliers wins in Games 3, 4 and 5. ### Why is the East finals schedule still unsettled? The NBA said on its playoff schedule page that the Eastern Conference finals schedule will be updated once the previous round ends. (nba.com) New York’s side of the bracket is already complete, but the Detroit-Cleveland semifinal had not been resolved as of the league’s May 16 update. New York advanced by sweeping Philadelphia 4-0 in the other Eastern Conference semifinal. The NBA page lists Knicks wins in Games 1 through 4 and identifies New York as the East finalist awaiting either Detroit or Cleveland. ### What exactly is confirmed right now? New York is confirmed as one participant in the Eastern Conference finals. (nba.com) Detroit and Cleveland are confirmed to be playing a Game 7 on May 17 for the other spot. The league has not yet posted game-by-game dates and times for the East finals on its official playoff schedule page. The NBA has, by contrast, already posted the full Western Conference finals schedule because that matchup is set. The West final between San Antonio and Oklahoma City is scheduled to begin Monday, May 18, with Game 1 in Oklahoma City at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. ### If Detroit wins, when would the Knicks-Pistons series start? (nba.com) Detroit would advance to face New York if it beats Cleveland on Sunday night. As of the NBA’s official update on May 16, however, the league had not yet published the East finals dates, tip times or television assignments on its schedule page. Reports from Detroit-area outlets said the league had outlined a Knicks-Pistons conference finals calendar tied to the outcome of the semifinal, but those details were not posted on the NBA’s official schedule page available Sunday. (nba.com) Because the NBA page says the conference finals schedule will be updated after the round ends, the formal next step is the league’s post-Game 7 update. ### What should readers watch for next? May 17 at 8 p.m. ET is the next fixed point on the schedule, with Cleveland at Detroit in the deciding semifinal game. The winner will join New York in the Eastern Conference finals bracket. The NBA said the conference finals schedule will be updated at the conclusion of the previous round, so the next official posting to watch is the league’s East finals update after Sunday’s Game 7. (nba.com)