05/17/26 11:13:00
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05/17 23:12 CDT Mitchell scores 26 and the Cavaliers rout the Pistons 125-94 in
Game 7 to reach the East finals
Mitchell scores 26 and the Cavaliers rout the Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 to reach
the East finals
By BOB TRIPI
Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) --- Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen and Sam
Merrill each added 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons
125-94 on Sunday night in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The fourth-seeded Cavaliers ousted the East's top seed and will face the
third-seeded New York Knicks. Game 1 of that series tips off Tuesday in New
York.
Evan Mobley had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who advanced to
the conference finals for the first time since 2018 and the ninth time in team
history. It's their deepest run since LeBron James' final season with the
franchise.
"We didn't just come here just to win a goal," Mitchell said about making the
conference finals for the first time in his career.
"Even last year. when we lost to Indiana, we had our goals set on getting to
the (NBA) Finals. We're just one step closer. It's been almost a decade of
running into the same issue. ... As a team, we can breathe a little bit, but
the same token, we can only breathe for about 12 hours, and then get right back
to it."
Daniss Jenkins scored 17 points, and Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson each
finished with 13 for the Pistons, who fell one win shy of their first
conference finals appearance since 2008 after forcing the deciding game with a
Game 6 victory Friday night.
"That game sucked," said Cunningham, who was held 16 points under his playoff
average. "Being back home, wanted to get this win in front of our fans. It
reminded me of last year, losing on home court. It's not a great feeling."
The Cavs dictated the pace from the opening tip and never allowed the Pistons
to gain traction, then blew open a convincing Game 7 performance when Mitchell
scored 15 in the third quarter.
Detroit was outscored in the paint 58-34 and made only 35.3% of its field goal
attempts, compared to Cleveland's 50.6%
"When we play with force, it's really a key. Like, force on both ends with our
talent, we're really hard to beat," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "The
question we got to answer, we talked about it a lot, is we can't have force
letdowns like Game 6, where we were not the forceful team. But tonight we were,
that was a whole difference, our force on both ends."
Cleveland capitalized on cold shooting by the Pistons in the opening quarter,
turning missed shots into transition baskets while building an early advantage.
The Cavs led 31-22 going to the second, and after Detroit had the first two
baskets, Cleveland quickly seized control with a 24-9 run. The Pistons'
offensive struggles only deepened and the Cavs continued to shoot efficiently
as they built a commanding 64-47 lead into halftime.
The Cavs kept rolling in the second half and led by as much as 35 points. The
closest the Pistons were able to get in the half was within 17 in the third
quarter.
"We knew that start was monumental, the start that they knew that we were here,
and that we were going to give them some problems," Atkinson said. "The
beginning of the game, that was key, and then coming out of halftime was the
same message: ?We got to win this first five minutes to put them on their on
their heels.'"
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
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