The Cleveland Cavaliers delivered a commanding 125-94 victory over the host Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday night, securing their first trip to the conference finals since 2018.

Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 26 points, while Jarrett Allen recorded 23 points and nine rebounds, outplaying Pistons center Jalen Duren (7 points). Sam Merrill added 23 points off the bench, and Evan Mobley posted a double-double with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

The fourth-seeded Cavaliers will now face the third-seeded New York Knicks in a best-of-seven series starting Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

Mitchell emphasized the need for discipline: “This is fantastic. I’m excited, believe me. But we’ve got to be more disciplined on Tuesday. We shouldn’t have to wait to get hit, to get punched in the mouth and face a go-home situation.”

The Pistons, failing to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the 18th consecutive year, struggled offensively. Cade Cunningham scored 13 points but missed all seven three-point attempts, while Tobias Harris went 0-for-6 from the field.

Cleveland shot 50.6% from the field compared to Detroit’s 35.3% and outrebounded the Pistons 50-41.

Allen credited Mitchell for his unselfish play: “He started the game trying to distribute the ball. That’s huge for a leader like him – trying to get everybody else going, then getting himself going second.”

Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff acknowledged the defeat: “The Cavaliers outplayed us. Give them credit. We’ll learn from it and grow as a team next year.”

Source: www.aljazeera.com