Cavaliers advance to Eastern Conference finals with Game 7 win over Pistons

The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in the Eastern Conference finals after a 125-94 win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 on Sunday, May 17. Cleveland, the No. 4 seed in the East, closed a 4-3 series comeback after dropping the first two games to top-seeded Detroit. The result sends the Cavaliers to their first conference finals since 2018, according to NBA.com. The next opponent is the New York Knicks, who swept the Philadelphia 76ers in four games to win the other East semifinal. ### How decisive was Game 7? Detroit hosted the winner-take-all game, but Cleveland turned it into a rout. The Cavaliers won by 31 points, their largest margin of the series, and the game was effectively out of reach by the fourth quarter, when both teams began pulling starters, according to NBA.com’s live recap. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 26 points, and Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each scored 23, the Associated Press reported. (apnews.com) Basketball-Reference’s box score lists the final at 125-94, confirming Cleveland’s highest-scoring game of the series and Detroit’s lowest total in the matchup. ### How did Cleveland get here after losing the first two games? (api-hub-qa.nba.com) Detroit opened the series with a 111-101 win in Game 1 and a 107-97 win in Game 2, putting Cleveland in a 0-2 hole, according to NBA.com’s playoff schedule page. Cleveland then won four of the next five games, including Games 3, 4 and 5, before Detroit forced Game 7 with a 115-94 victory in Game 6. Game 5 may have been the swing point. (apnews.com) Cleveland won that game 117-113 in overtime to take a 3-2 series lead, and NBA.com’s series recap said the Cavaliers closed the matchup by winning the decider on the road. ### Which players shaped the series? Mitchell delivered the scoring load throughout the series. NBA.com’s recap highlighted his 35 points in Game 3, 43 points in Game 4 — with 39 in the second half — and his lead role again in Game 7. (nba.com) The supporting cast changed the texture of the matchup. NBA.com said Allen and Evan Mobley combined for 44 points and 19 rebounds in Game 7, while Merrill made five 3-pointers. (nba.com) The same recap also noted James Harden’s late-game shotmaking in Game 3 and his 30 points in the overtime win in Game 5. Detroit still got a breakout postseason from Cade Cunningham. (api-hub-qa.nba.com) ESPN’s semifinal coverage noted Cunningham’s 27-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in Game 3, even though Cleveland held on late in that game. ### What makes the upset stand out? Detroit entered the series as the East’s No. 1 seed, and Cleveland was seeded fourth. (api-hub-qa.nba.com) The Cavaliers’ series win makes them the lower-seeded team advancing out of that side of the bracket, while New York arrived from the No. 3-vs.-No. 7 matchup after eliminating Philadelphia in four games. The bracket now leaves the Eastern Conference finals without the top seed. (espn.com) NBA.com’s updated playoff page lists the matchup as No. 3 New York against No. 4 Cleveland. ### When does the Knicks series start? Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, in New York at 8 p.m. ET, according to NBA.com. 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. (nba.com) The NBA’s official schedule says every game in the East finals is set for ESPN, with Game 7, if necessary, scheduled for Sunday, May 31, in New York. (nba.com) The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin June 3.