The Cleveland Cavaliers delivered a dominant wire-to-wire performance to eliminate the top-seeded Detroit Pistons with a resounding 125-94 victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday (Philippine time).
Playing a do-or-die game on Detroit’s home floor, the fourth-seeded Cavaliers seized control early and never looked back, silencing the home crowd to punch their ticket to the next round.
Cleveland set the tone in the opening quarter, building a 31-22 lead capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Donovan Mitchell, who finished the game with 26 points. The Cavaliers extended their advantage in the second period, taking a commanding 64-47 lead into halftime behind efficient shooting and balanced scoring.
The rout continued into the second half as Cleveland stretched the margin to 99-73 by the end of the third quarter, effectively putting the game out of reach. The unrelenting Cavaliers outscored the Pistons in every single frame and led by as many as 31 points in the final period.
Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each added 23 points to bolster the Cleveland offense, while Evan Mobley dominated the paint with 21 points and 12 rebounds. The Cavaliers’ depth and suffocating defense completely overwhelmed a Detroit squad that struggled to find any offensive rhythm throughout the contest.
With the victory, Cleveland advances to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018 and the ninth time in franchise history. The Cavaliers will face the third-seeded New York Knicks, with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday (PH time) in New York.
Meanwhile, the Pistons, who entered the playoffs as the conference’s top seed, saw their impressive postseason run end abruptly with their most lopsided loss of the playoffs.