Cavaliers crush Pistons to reach conference finals: Instant takeaways

Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY Mon, May 18, 2026 at 3:12 AM UTC

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We now have the full picture of the final four teams in the NBA.

The No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the top-seeded Detroit Pistons Sunday, May 17 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals 125-94, setting up a showdown against the No. 3 New York Knicks in the conference finals.

It was evident, pretty quickly after tip-off Sunday night in Detroit, that the Cavaliers had moved on from their Game 6 letdown. Cleveland played with more force and intention, relentlessly attacking the paint and outworking the Pistons on the glass.

The Cavaliers had four players — Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill and Evan Mobley — each score at least 21 points.

Here are takeaways from Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal Game 7 between the Cavaliers and Pistons:

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Congratulations, Cleveland. Now you get to run into the buzzsaw that is the Knicks

This is the kind of performance Cleveland will need to consistently produce in order to have a chance against New York, which has easily been the hottest team in the East thus far in the postseason.

The Cavaliers were far more active from the jump and won nearly every hustle metric.

Yet, there were still flaws in Cleveland’s game. James Harden scored just 6 points in the first half and finished the game with just 9 on 2-of-10 shooting. At times, he appeared more focused on trying to draw fouls than get clean looks. Perimeter shooting was inconsistent; removing Sam Merrill’s 5-of-8 night, the rest of the Cavs went just 6-of-26 (23.1%) from deep.

The Knicks will be fresh and rested and have homecourt advantage. They’re the most cohesive team in the East, the one with the most continuity. Cleveland did do a far better job of protecting the ball, committing just 11 turnovers, but the Knicks are far better than Detroit. The Cavaliers will need to be even more efficient.

The Pistons, simply put, cannot win when shooting this poorly. That wasn’t even their biggest issue

Going back to last season, this Detroit squad has lacked reliable and consistent shooting, which has made it difficult to sustain offense. It has also made things difficult for Cade Cunningham, where he has often had to play the role of savior.

Detroit’s starters combined to shoot just 14-of-48 (29.2%) from the field, contributing just 47 combined points. Cleveland’s starting five, by the way, dropped 88 combined points.

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Somehow, Detroit’s defense was even worse

Detroit suffered uncharacteristic breakdowns, struggling to communicate on switches, leaving players streaking to the rim unobstructed. There were some solid individual efforts — Ausar Thompson was effective, as always — but Detroit’s effort and persistence on defense simply wasn’t there.

They were a step slow, a step late and that sluggishness carried over into other parts of their game. After a tremendous regular season, a loss like this exposes serious limitations and shows how far this team still is from being legitimate contenders in the conference.

Distributing Donovan Mitchell plays most meaningful basketball of career

In January 2023, Donovan Mitchell scored a career-high 71 points. This game may have been even better.

Mitchell erased the narrative that he cannot elevate his team to a conference finals with a complete game that showcased how dangerous he can be.

Mitchell used his gravity to draw additional defensive attention, at times almost as a decoy, working his way into the paint to then find open teammates. With those open looks, Cleveland converted easier buckets, but it also opened up the entire offensive rhythm for the Cavaliers; in the first half, Cleveland generated 18 assists on 22 made field goals, with six of those coming from Mitchell.

Mitchell finished the game with 26 points and 8 assists, both of which were game highs, and added 6 rebounds. He set the tone and was, unquestionably, the best player on the floor Friday night.

Game 7 Jarrett Allen shows up

The Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen (31) dunks the ball against the Detroit Pistons during Game 7 of their second-round playoff series on May 17, 2026.

In the final game of the first round of the playoffs, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen was a menace, dropping 22 points and 19 rebounds against the Raptors.

Friday night, Allen was stellar once again in a Game 7, impacting winning.

Not only did he attack and create his shot down low, he also got to the line, leading all players with 13 free throw attempts. Allen was also active on defense, contesting shots. His 3 offensive rebounds were tied for a game-high.

Allen scored 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, adding 7 rebounds.

Against the height and low-post presence of the Knicks, Cleveland will need much of the same.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cavaliers beat Pistons in Game 7 to reach NBA Eastern Conference final

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