Mitchell, Cavaliers eliminate Pistons, will play Knicks in East finals

Mitchell, Cavaliers eliminate Pistons, will play Knicks in East finalsLed by Donovan Mitchell’s 26 points, Cleveland dominate Detroit in Game 7 to advance to the NBA’s final four.The Cleveland Cavaliers have gone on the road and played Game ‌7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals like they’d been there before.That’s because they had. And the experience paid off.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4In-form Sinner wins Italian Open to complete career Golden Masterslist 2 of 4World Cup 2026 Preview: Tiny Panama dream big on tournament returnlist 3 of 4Di Giannantonio wins Catalan MotoGP after Marquez injured in horror crashlist 4 of 4Can you identify all 48 teams in World Cup 2026?This article will be opened in a new browser windowend of listDonovan ⁠Mitchell led all scorers on Sunday night with ⁠26 points, Jarrett Allen enjoyed his second consecutive dominant series finale and the Cavaliers earned a spot in the Eastern Conference finals with a 125-94 shellacking of the host Detroit Pistons in the elimination game of their second-round playoff series.Allen outscored ⁠rival big man Jalen Duren 23-7, Sam Merrill matched him with 23 points off the bench and Evan Mobley completed his first double-double of the series with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers will face the third-seeded New York Knicks in a best-of-seven series that ⁠tips off on Tuesday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden.It didn’t take long for the Cavaliers to start planning ahead.“This is fantastic. I’m excited, believe me. But we’ve got to be more disciplined” on Tuesday, Mitchell told a television audience, making a reference to two series-opening losses at Detroit, then a defeat at home in Game 6. “We shouldn’t have to wait to get hit, to get punched in the mouth and face ‌a go-home situation.”Mitchell, left, won the battle of the All-Star guards against Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, outscoring his opponent 26 to 13 in Game 7 [Gregory Shamus/Getty Images via AFP]Cavs overwhelm Pistons earlyOverpowering the top-seeded Pistons in every possible way, the Cavaliers built as much as a 20-point lead in the first half, extended the margin to as many as 26 in the third period and coasted into their first trip to the Eastern finals since beating the Boston Celtics in seven games in 2018.