Cavaliers eliminate Pistons with Game 7 win

The Cleveland Cavaliers closed out the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday, May 17, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The win gave Cleveland the series 4-3 and sent the Cavaliers into the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 26 points, and the Cavaliers had six players score at least nine points. Detroit never recovered after falling behind early and was outscored by 31 points by the final horn. ### How quickly did Cleveland take control? Cleveland opened the game with a wire-to-wire performance and led 34-19 after the first quarter. The Cavaliers added a 30-25 second quarter and took a 64-44 lead into halftime. By the end of the third, the margin had grown to 97-71. The 31-point final margin reflected Cleveland's efficiency on both ends. The Cavaliers shot 43-for-85 from the field, or 50.6%, while Detroit shot 30-for-85, or 35.3%. (nba.com) Cleveland also finished with 31 assists to Detroit's 21 and committed 11 turnovers against Detroit's 14. ### Which Cavaliers carried the scoring? Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and added eight assists and six rebounds in 31:08. (nba.com) Jarrett Allen had 23 points and seven rebounds, Evan Mobley finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Sam Merrill scored 23 points off the bench while making five 3-pointers. James Harden scored nine points but posted a game-high plus-31 in 35:54 for Cleveland. (nba.com) Max Strus added nine points, and the Cavaliers got points from 12 players in all. ### What went wrong for Detroit in Game 7? Detroit's offense stalled against Cleveland's defense for much of the night. The Pistons shot 30.8% from 3-point range and had no player score more than 17 points. (nba.com) Daniss Jenkins led Detroit with 17 points, five assists and three rebounds in 34:03. Cade Cunningham scored 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts. (nba.com) Tobias Harris was held without a field goal, finishing with five points on 0-for-6 shooting, while Jalen Duren added seven points and nine rebounds. ### How balanced was Cleveland's rotation? Cleveland's box score showed a deep scoring spread. Six Cavaliers reached at least nine points, and four of them scored 21 or more. (nba.com) The team also won the rebounding battle 50-41 and recorded 10 steals. Sam Merrill's bench production helped widen the gap in the second half. The reserve guard shot 7-for-10 overall and 5-for-8 from 3-point range, while Dennis Schröder added three assists in 18:16 off the bench. (nba.com) ### When does the Knicks series start? The NBA's playoff schedule lists Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between New York and Cleveland for Tuesday, May 19, at 8 p.m. (nba.com) ET. Game 2 is set for Thursday, May 21, and the series is scheduled to run through May 31 if a seventh game is needed. The bracket on NBA.com lists New York as the No. 3 seed and Cleveland as the No. 4 seed in the conference finals matchup. (nba.com) Jalen Brunson enters the series as the Knicks' listed scoring leader in the playoffs at 27.4 points per game, while Mitchell is listed at 25.6 for Cleveland. Tuesday's Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET will open the Cavaliers' next series against the Knicks, with Game 2 scheduled for May 21. (nba.com)