Detroit Pistons force Game 7 vs Cavaliers

The Detroit Pistons extended their season on Friday, May 15, with a 115-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers that tied their Eastern Conference semifinal series at 3-3. NBA.com listed Cade Cunningham with a team-high 21 points and Jalen Duren with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the Game 6 victory. The result sent the series back to Detroit for a deciding Game 7 on Sunday, May 17. NBA.com’s playoff bracket showed the Pistons-Cavaliers matchup as the only second-round series still unresolved after San Antonio closed out Minnesota in the West. ### How did Detroit get the series back to a seventh game? Friday’s 21-point margin was Detroit’s most decisive win of the series since it took the first two games. NBA.com said the Pistons “dominate[d] in Cleveland” and credited Cunningham’s scoring and a strong bench effort for pushing the series back to Michigan. The official playoff page also described the performance as a win built on Detroit’s “will to survive,” a line that underscored how sharply the series had turned after Cleveland won three straight games to take a 3-2 lead. (nba.com) Game 5 had gone to overtime on May 13, when Cleveland beat Detroit 117-113 on the road to move within one win of the conference finals. NBA.com said the Cavaliers closed regulation on a 9-0 run in that game and then outscored the Pistons 14-10 in overtime. Detroit answered two nights later by keeping the Cavaliers from closing late again. (nba.com) ### Which numbers from Game 6 mattered most? Cade Cunningham’s 21 points led Detroit, according to NBA.com’s playoff recap. Jalen Duren’s double-double — 15 points and 11 rebounds — gave the Pistons interior production in a closeout game on the road. NBA.com’s Game 6 item also said Detroit got “big support from the bench,” though the playoff page excerpt did not list the full reserve scoring breakdown in the snippet available. (nba.com) The series score is now 3-3 after six games, and the game-by-game results show how abruptly momentum has shifted. Sporting News listed Detroit as winning Game 1, 111-101, and Game 2, 107-97, before Cleveland responded with wins in Games 3, 4 and 5 — including the overtime result in Game 5. Detroit’s 115-94 victory in Game 6 reset the matchup into a one-game series. (nba.com) ### Why is this Game 7 drawing extra attention? The Pistons-Cavaliers matchup is now the last remaining Game 7 of the conference semifinal round. Bleacher Report said after Friday’s results that San Antonio’s series win over Minnesota left only one second-round series still active. NBA.com’s bracket showed the Knicks already through to the Eastern Conference finals and the Thunder through to the Western Conference finals, with Spurs-Thunder set to begin Monday, June 3. (sportingnews.com) Detroit and Cleveland also entered the playoffs from the same side of a bracket that has already cleared around them. NBA.com’s bracket listed the Pistons as the No. 1 seed and the Cavaliers as the No. 4 seed in the East semifinal matchup. That makes Sunday’s game the final step before the East finals field is complete. ### What exactly happens next on Sunday? (bleacherreport.com) Sunday, May 17, is the scheduled date for Game 7 in Detroit. Sporting News listed the game as set for 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. Eastern on Prime Video, while NBA.com’s bracket showed Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Pacific, which corresponds to 8:00 p.m. Eastern. The winner will advance to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. (nba.com) The bracket beyond that is already in place. NBA.com listed the Knicks as having completed a 4-0 series win over the 76ers, and NorthJersey.com reported that New York’s Eastern Conference finals opener is set for Tuesday, May 19. Sunday’s winner between Detroit and Cleveland will fill that spot. (nba.com) (sportingnews.com)