Donovan Mitchell, Harden, Cavs Eliminate Pistons to Clinch 1st ECF Berth Since LeBron James Era
Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers came out firing in Sunday's Game 7, rolling to a 125-94 victory over Cade Cunningham and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals.
The game slipped away from Detroit in the third quarter as Cleveland stretched its lead to as many as 26 points, putting the finishing touches on a dominant road victory.
The Eastern Conference finals appearance marks the first time the Cleveland Cavaliers have reached the conference finals without LeBron James on the roster since 1992.
Mitchell poured in 26 points while shooting 45 percent from the field, adding seven rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block in Cleveland's dominant Game 7 victory.
Jarrett Allen delivered a strong performance with 23 points and seven rebounds while Evan Mobley added 21 points. Sam Merrill also caught fire off the bench, finishing with 23 points.
The Cavaliers still found a way to advance despite a quiet outing from James Harden, who shot 2-of-10 from the field and went 0-of-6 from 3-point range while finishing with nine points.
The Cavaliers now advance to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Cavaliers kept Cunningham in check, holding the star guard to a postseason-low 13 points on 31 percent shooting, including 0-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Detroit's remaining starters struggled to generate offense as well, combining for just 34 points in a frustrating night for the Pistons whose offense shot 35 percent from the field in the loss.
The thrilling series came to a close Sunday in a decisive Game 7 showdown.
Cunningham and the Pistons stormed out to a 2-0 series lead after protecting home court in the opening two games. The star guard fueled Detroit's fast start with a combined 48 points and 17 assists across the victories.
With the series shifting to Cleveland for Game 3, Mitchell answered with 35 points to outduel Cunningham's triple-double effort and lead the Cavaliers to a 116-109 victory for their first win of the series.
Mitchell followed with his best performance of the postseason in Game 4, exploding for 43 points as Cleveland evened the series on its home floor.
Harden then delivered in Game 5, scoring 30 points to help push the Cavaliers to a 117-113 overtime victory and a 3-2 series advantage.
Facing elimination in Game 6, Cunningham scored 21 points to help Detroit extend the series and force a winner-take-all Game 7. However, the top-seeded Pistons were unable to complete the series victory as the No. 4 Cavaliers closed out the upset on the road.
The Cavaliers are headed back to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018, the final season of the franchise's four consecutive NBA Finals appearances that included the 2016 championship run led by James.
A look at the semifinal playoff bracket.
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder defeat No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers, 4-0
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs defeat No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-2
Eastern Conference
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers defeat No. 1 Detroit Pistons, 4-3
No. 3 New York Knicks defeat No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers, 4-0
The Eastern Conference finals will tip off Tuesday in New York with Game 1 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks.
