Cavaliers End Pistons Season With Dominant Game 7 Win

Summary:

• The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
• Cade Cunningham finished with a playoff career low of 13 points.
• Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the season should not be viewed as a disappointment.

The Cleveland Cavaliers delivered a dominant performance Sunday night, eliminating the Detroit Pistons with a crushing 125-94 victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Detroit entered the postseason as the Eastern Conference’s top seed after a breakthrough regular season, but its playoff run came to a painful end at Little Caesars Arena before a stunned home crowd.

With the Pistons trailing by 34 points late in the fourth quarter, All-Star guard Cade Cunningham was pulled from the game as fans began heading toward the exits. Cunningham embraced coach J.B. Bickerstaff and teammates on the bench before taking his seat for the final moments of Detroit’s season.

The star guard struggled throughout the night, finishing with just 13 points on 5 of 16 shooting while missing all seven of his three point attempts.

Cunningham admitted afterward,

That game sucked. Being back home, we definitely wanted to get this win for the fans.

The Cavaliers controlled the game from the start, with a 31-22 lead at the end of a first quarter prior to stretching the advantage to 17 points by halftime. Detroit’s offense never recovered and only managed 34 points in the paint, matching its season low.

Despite the lopsided defeat, Bickerstaff refused to criticize his players or label the season a failure.

It’s not a disappointment at all. These guys gave us everything they had every single day.

The loss marked one of the worst postseason defeats ever suffered by a 60 win team, according to ESPN Research. Still, Detroit’s season represented a dramatic turnaround for a franchise that had struggled in recent years.

The Pistons had already survived multiple elimination games during the playoffs, including a hard fought first round series win over the Orlando Magic, but they were unable to overcome Cleveland’s depth and defensive pressure in the deciding game.

Guard Ausar Thompson said the defeat would stay with him long after the season ends.

I’m not forgetting. That series felt personal.

Now the Pistons head into the offseason searching for answers and hoping the painful ending becomes motivation for another deep NBA playoff push next year.