The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018, and the road there ended with a thud for Detroit. Cleveland beat the Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 on May 17, closing out a semifinal series it had trailed 2-0 and setting up a Knicks vs Cavaliers matchup that now carries the weight of a conference title chase.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 26 points and made 10 of 22 field goals in the clincher. Cleveland had four scorers with 20 points or more, a sign of how thoroughly it controlled the night, while the Pistons managed just a 35.3% field goal percentage and Cade Cunningham missed all seven 3-point shots he took while finishing with 13 points.
The result mattered because it flipped a series that had looked dangerous for Cleveland after the first two games. The Cavaliers lost Game 6 but answered with their best performance of the run in Game 7, despite carrying a 2-5 record in away games during this playoff stretch. That inconsistency had been a concern, yet it did not stop them from returning to the conference finals for the first time in seven years.
Now the focus shifts to New York, where Game 1 against the Knicks will be available on, and fans can also watch on the Fubo App. Cleveland advanced after eliminating Detroit in seven games, but the next round will ask a different question: whether the Cavaliers can turn a strong close to one series into the start of a deeper playoff run.
For now, the takeaway is simple. Cleveland survived the stumble, handled the pressure in Game 7 and earned its place among the East’s final four, with Knicks vs Cavaliers opening the next test on a national stage.
