Donovan Mitchell contributed six rebounds and eight assists to the winning effort.
The Cleveland Cavaliers decisively defeated the top-seeded Detroit Pistons 125-94 in their series-clinching game, securing their first appearance in the NBA Eastern Conference finals since 2018.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 26 points, followed by Sam Merrill and Jarrett Allen with 23 each, and Evan Mobley with 21. Daniss Jenkins was the Pistons’ leading scorer with 17 points.
Cleveland, after losing the initial two games of the series, surged to a 20-point advantage in the first half, ultimately closing out the series 4-3 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The fourth-seeded Cavaliers will now face the third-seeded New York Knicks for a chance to compete in the NBA Finals,, external with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday at 01:00 BST at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“This is fantastic, but we have to maintain greater discipline,” Mitchell stated.
“We can’t afford to wait to be challenged or face elimination scenarios before responding.”
Detroit, who concluded the regular season with a 60-22 record, have not advanced to the Eastern Conference finals since 2005.
The Cavaliers or Knicks will compete against either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
The Western Conference finals are set to commence on Tuesday at 01:30 BST in Oklahoma.
In related news, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second consecutive year, becoming the 14th player in NBA history to achieve this feat.
The 27-year-old is the first player to win the award in back-to-back seasons since Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in 2021 and 2022, and the first guard since Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry in 2015 and 2016.
“This is a special honor, not only for me but for the city and organization,” Gilgeous-Alexander commented.
He received 83 first-place votes and secured a total of 939 points in a ballot of 100 voters.
Jokic finished as the runner-up, while Spurs center Victor Wembanyama placed third.
Following a four-year contract extension worth a reported $285 million (£214 million) during the off-season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 68 games, leading Oklahoma City to a 64-18 regular-season record.
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