Cleveland Cavaliers produced a dominant performance to crush Detroit Pistons 125-94 in their decisive Game 7 clash, sealing a place in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018.
Star guard Donovan Mitchell led the way with 26 points, while also contributing six rebounds and eight assists during a commanding all-round display. Sam Merrill added 23 points, Jarrett Allen scored 23, and Evan Mobley chipped in with 21 as Cleveland completed an impressive comeback after losing the opening two games of the series.
The Cavaliers took control early at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, surging into a 20-point lead during the first half before comfortably closing out the contest to secure a 4-3 series triumph.
Detroit struggled to respond under pressure despite entering the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s top seed following a strong 60-22 regular season campaign. Daniss Jenkins was the Pistons’ leading scorer with 17 points in a disappointing end to their season. The franchise has now failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals since 2005.
Cleveland will next face New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Game 1 scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
“This is fantastic. But we’ve got to be more disciplined,” Mitchell said after the victory. “We shouldn’t have to wait to get punched in the mouth and face a go-home situation.”
Meanwhile, in major NBA news, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season.
The 27-year-old became only the 14th player in league history to win back-to-back MVP awards and the first guard since Stephen Curry in 2015 and 2016 to achieve the feat.
Gilgeous-Alexander received 83 first-place votes and finished with 939 points in the final voting ahead of Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama.
After signing a massive four-year contract extension reportedly worth $285 million, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds this season as Oklahoma City finished with a league-best 64-18 record.
The Western Conference Finals will begin on Tuesday, with Oklahoma City preparing to face San Antonio Spurs for a place in the NBA Finals.
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