Cavaliers dismantle Pistons in Game 7 to earn Eastern Conference finals date with Knicks

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...