The Cavaliers made a joke out of their much-hyped Game 7 matchup with the Pistons on Sunday night. Cleveland hammered Detroit 125–94 to close out their second-round series and punch a ticket to the Eastern Conference finals, something they haven't done without LeBron James on the roster since 1992.
Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs jumped out early and led 31–22 after the first quarter. A dominant second saw Cleveland owning a 64–47 lead at the break, and things never got better for the Pistons. The Cavs won every quarter and made Detroit’s best look really bad. Cade Cunningham finished the game with 13 points and was -32 in plus/minus on the night, while Cleveland’s stars brought it in the deciding game.
A date with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden now awaits the Cavs on Tuesday night, in what should be an electric series. Before we get too deep into analyzing what that will look like, here are our takeaways from a Game 7 matchup that was never in doubt.
Donovan Mitchell played like a star in Game 7
To win a Game 7 in the NBA playoffs, a team needs its stars to play like stars. Donovan Mitchell did that Sunday night. The 29-year-old finished with 26 points, five rebounds, six assists, two steals, two blocks and no turnovers. The seven-time All-Star shot 10-for-22 from the field and was 2-for-6 from three-point range. He stepped up when his team needed him the most.
Over 79 minutes combined in Games 5 and 6, Mitchell scored a total of 39 points and went 13-for-38 from the field (34.2%), and 3-for-14 from three-point range (21.4%). Cleveland won Game 5 in overtime, but was blown out by the Pistons in Game 6 as Mitchell finished with 18 points. He was back in a groove in Game 7. While the Pistons got very little out of Cade Cunningham, and James Harden didn’t give the Cavs much, Mitchell got it done when he needed to.
Things will only heat up even more for Cleveland’s star. He’ll take his team into Madison Square Garden against the Knicks on Tuesday for Game 1 and, if anything, will need to be even better. New York has better, more seasoned perimeter players than the Pistons, and they can get it done on both ends. Job No. 1 for the Knicks will be shutting Mitchell and Harden down, and they can’t let that happen if they hope to survive.
Jalen Duren couldn’t fight off the postseason bug in the decider
All-Star big man Jalen Duren’s lack of production over the playoffs has hampered the Pistons in a big way. He had his best showing yet in the Pistons’ Game 6 win with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but he disappeared once again in Game 7 as Cavs center Jarrett Allen dominated the paint. Entering Sunday, Duren averaged just 10.5 points per game over the postseason. That’s nearly a 10-point drop off from his regular-season average of 19.5 points a night in his first All-Star campaign.
Tobias Harris largely made up for the lack of offense coming from Duren over Detroit’s postseason run, but even he disappeared in Game 7. Harris went 0-for-6 from the floor and scored five points in another off-night for Duren, where he scored just seven points. The lack of offense aside from Cunningham is a big issue for the Pistons moving ahead, and the team’s starting forwards didn’t score a bucket until Ausar Thompson—a non-shooter—knocked down a rare three-pointer just before halftime.
Duren’s future with Detroit will be decided over the summer as he’s lined up for restricted free agency. Before the playoffs, president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, would’ve gladly signed him to a lucrative, long-term deal. Now, what Detroit decides to do with Duren and his play moving forward impacts the franchise’s future greatly.
Rested Knicks await tired Cavaliers
The Cavs have now played 14 games this postseason after going to Game 7 against both the Raptors and Pistons. Meanwhile, the Knicks finished the Hawks off in six games before sweeping the 76ers. They have been off for a week since bouncing Philadelphia in a 144-114 Game 4 blowout last Sunday. They are rested and on a roll, so Cleveland won’t have an easy target awaiting in the next round.
New York has reeled off seven straight playoff wins since falling behind the Hawks 2–1 in the opening round. The team has won four straight road games as well. During that seven-game win streak, the Knicks’ average margin of victory has been 26.4 points. Other than the Thunder, there isn’t a team playing close to New York’s level.
The Cavs should rightfully be excited about taking down the top-seeded Pistons, but there will be no time for celebrating. The Eastern Conference finals start on Tuesday night, and they’ll face a red-hot Knicks squad that is rested and ready. Cleveland had better bring its best to MSG.
Relive our live blog from Game 7 below.
Game 7 live blog replay: Cavaliers 125, Pistons 94
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- NBA MVP Award: Our Case for Each of the Three Finalists for Basketball’s Most Prestigious Award
- Anthony Edwards Explains Controversial Decision to Congratulate Spurs' Bench Early in Wolves' Game 6 Loss
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Playoff Takeaways: How Cavaliers Dominated Pistons to Punch Ticket to Eastern Conference Finals.
