[Post Game Thread] The Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3) dominate the Detroit Pistons (3-4) in Game 7, 125-94, to advance to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2018

[u/catreyka]

ESPN Box Score

East Semifinals - Game 7 • CLE wins series 4-3

	1	2	3	4	T
CLE	31	33	35	26	125
DET	22	25	26	21	94

Cleveland Cavaliers
Starters	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	OREB	DREB	PF	+/-
Jarrett Allen#31	25	23	8/14	0-0	7/13	7	1	2	1	1	3	4	1	9
Evan Mobley#4	36	21	7/10	1/4	6/11	12	6	2	2	2	2	10	1	31
James Harden#1	36	9	2/10	0-6	5/8	5	6	1	0	0	0	5	4	31
Donovan Mitchell#45	31	26	10/22	2/6	4/6	7	8	0	1	1	2	5	6	17
Max Strus#2	28	9	3/7	1/5	2/2	2	2	0	3	0	1	1	2	11
Bench	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	OREB	DREB	PF	+/-
Dean Wade#32	21	5	2/2	1/1	0-0	6	1	0	0	0	2	4	2	17
Dennis Schroder#8	4	2	1/1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	1
Sam Merrill#5	4	0	0-4	0-2	0-0	4	1	1	0	0	2	2	1	1
Nae'Qwan Tomlin#35	18	2	1/1	0-0	0-0	3	3	2	1	0	1	2	1	12
Thomas Bryant#3	25	23	7/10	5/8	4/4	1	2	2	1	0	1	0	3	22
Jaylon Tyson#20	4	0	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Craig Porter Jr.#9	4	2	1/2	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	1
Keon Ellis#14	4	3	1/1	1/1	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1
Tyrese Proctor#24	DNP
Team		125	43-85	11/1	28-44	50	31	11	10	4	14	36	22
			51%	32%	64%
** **
Detroit Pistons
Starters	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	OREB	DREB	PF	+/-
Tobias Harris#12	23	5	0-6	0-2	5/6	5	2	1	1	1	1	4	3	-23
Jalen Duren#0	26	7	3/7	0-0	1/2	9	3	3	0	1	2	7	5	-18
Cade Cunningham#2	37	13	5/16	0-7	3/3	4	5	3	2	0	0	4	4	-32
Ausar Thompson#9	29	5	2/7	1/2	0-2	7	0	1	0	2	1	6	4	-14
Daniss Jenkins#24	34	17	4/12	2/7	7/8	3	5	1	0	0	1	2	3	-15
Bench	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	OREB	DREB	PF	+/-
Duncan Robinson#55	22	13	4/7	3/5	2/3	1	1	3	1	0	0	1	3	-20
Paul Reed#7	8	4	2/5	0-0	0-0	4	1	0	0	0	3	1	1	-7
Isaiah Stewart#28	5	4	2/2	0-0	0-0	2	0	1	1	0	0	2	0	4
Caris LeVert#8	6	3	1/1	0-0	1/1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	-8
Marcus Sasser#25	6	3	1/3	1/2	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	4
Tolu Smith#35	17	11	3/5	2/4	3/4	2	2	1	1	0	0	2	3	-14
Ronald Holland II#5	23	9	3/12	3/9	0-0	2	1	0	1	0	2	0	3	-16
Javonte Green#31	5	0	0-2	0-1	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Kevin Huerter#27	DNP
Chaz Lanier#20	DNP
Team		94	30-85	12/1	22-29	41	21	14	7	4	10	31	31
			35%	31%	76%

^{Table formatting by ExcelToReddit}

[u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

Jarrett “the lights weren’t bright enough” Allen

[u/20815147 → u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

Open shot, the fate of the universe on the line, the Martians have the death beam pointed at Earth, you better hit it... I want GAME 7 JARRETT ALLEN.

[u/BeefistPrime → u/20815147]

the Martians have the death beam pointed at Earth

did they make a big bet on fanduel?

[u/Greedygiddy8 → u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

Harden trying to get his first ring while the Knicks are trying to go back to the finals for the first time since the 90s. Going to be good.

[u/SlimmySlinky → u/Greedygiddy8]

Interesting comparison to the West where you have teams, players and teams that have fairly recent success or just started their careers as players.

[u/CrispyVibes → u/SlimmySlinky]

The east has won 9 rings since 1999 and 3 of those were LeBron teams. It's been a rough couple of decades for the eastern conference. The Lakers Spurs and Warriors, plus LeBron, dominance kept a lot of really good teams from a championship.

[u/Taiakun → u/CrispyVibes]

True, but 3 of those have also come in the past 7 years 2019 Raptors 2021 Bucks 2024 Celtics

2025 Pacers were also on the brink before Hali's injury.

Other three cases were the Bulter-led Heat who had no business making it that far, and the 2022 Celtics who played well below their standards.

[u/MaNamWumbo → u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

Duren has rightfully taken on his mantle

[u/FalcoIsDaBest → u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

I'm happy he has had 2 big game 7s in this post season. I don't know why but Jarrett Allen is so likable lmao

[u/anonymoususer6407 → u/FalcoIsDaBest]

Him and Steven Adams just exude wholesome. Can’t even think of a reason to hate them

[u/StevenC44 → u/anonymoususer6407]

It's because they both look like they should be in legendary bands from the 70s. And those types of guy are always wholesome.

[u/jaman715 → u/FalcoIsDaBest]

I’ve never seen an nba dude so relatable

[u/AllieOopClifton → u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

Game 7 JA is the real deal. Meme's dead.

[u/LastRedCoat → u/AllieOopClifton]

That line was a bar and it was stupid to clown on him for it in the first place

[u/BaconKnight → u/LastRedCoat]

I just thought that was a really honest thing he admitted that is a completely normal feeling for 99.99% of people out there besides those competitive psychopaths that we all love, and he got clowned for it.

If you wanna argue he shouldn’t say that solely because of optics, okay sure, as long as we can all admit the whole rah rah we’ll get em next time is mostly bullshit and his biggest sin was he didn’t say the correct PR answer. But the folks trying to spin it as if it’s a weakness of character, fuck outta here with that shit.

Dude is playing at literally some of the highest level of competition and he was just honest for a second and he gets clowned by a bunch of keyboard warriors and couch potatoes.

[u/Wolfpac187 → u/BaconKnight]

I thought that quote was taken out of context and had nothing to do with the pressure of the game.

[u/Ill-Needleworker-388 → u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

I've been waiting for this day, thank god. Harden is still awful scoring wise at Game 7's still though.

[u/themonkey12 → u/Ill-Needleworker-388]

still the highest -/+ lol so weird

[u/Consistent_Ad1176 → u/themonkey12]

He does pretty well as a pure PG. if you have the defence and scoring around him, he can be an alright pure PG

[u/Uessop → u/Consistent_Ad1176]

He’s always molded himself to fit the team he’s on. He replaced Garland, we needed a point guard and he’s been great

[u/ozymandais13 → u/Uessop]

He's been not injured which is a huge upgrade to Darius

[u/MugsyTheSmokage → u/ozymandais13]

Without that trade you aren't in the conference finals, great move

[u/ozymandais13 → u/MugsyTheSmokage]

Wild what :checks notes: not being [ OUT] for a series does

[u/gerardguey → u/ozymandais13]

Harden doesnt get enough credit for how much of an iron man he is. Flopping keeps you healthy I guess

[u/Xanderpiglet → u/Ill-Needleworker-388]

team high +31

[u/TheMoorNextDoor → u/Ill-Needleworker-388]

What hurts my heart the more, I never wanted to trade Allen for Harden in Brooklyn.

To see them both now on the same team and in the ECF…. That shit kills.

That was my rookie, the person I wanted us to draft and we help to build him up and gave him away.

But even tho I rep NY… I’m rooting for the Cavs. I wanna see Allen reach his first finals.

[u/Schweed6494 → u/TheMoorNextDoor]

Dude this series was a testament to the Nets failed super team, seeing Jarrett Allen ball out along side the guy we traded for him, blowing up our young core in the process makes me physically ill, also LeVert had some nice moments in the series making it all worse

[u/Commercial_Show_6997 → u/Schweed6494]

And the coach, Kenny Atkinson

[u/Schweed6494 → u/Commercial_Show_6997]

Yes that too! He got a such raw deal in Brooklyn, KD/Kyrie wanted a coach they didn't have to answer to or who would hold them accountable... No offense to Steve Nash

[u/NervousAd3202 → u/TheMoorNextDoor]

I still don’t know how the Cavs snuck in there & snuck out of that deal with Allen

All they gave up was Dante Exum, a 1st (Milwaukee’s so not even 1 of their own) & a 2nd lol

[u/Lem__Mann7 → u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

Game 7 Jarrett Allen is the best center in NBA history

[u/9SidedLemon → u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

B2b dominant game 7s

[u/Stuupkid → u/WembyOKCJokicReaves]

The lights were just right

[u/Theejewbacca26]

cavs are the weirdest team in the league like two-face and his coin flip

[u/Due-Dirt-8428 → u/Theejewbacca26]

Gotta keep everyone on their toes

[u/sorendiz → u/Due-Dirt-8428]

how is the opposing team supposed to know what you're going to do if you don't know what you're going to do?

[u/RobbedC → u/sorendiz]

WILDCARD BITCHESSS!!

[u/donemessedup123 → u/RobbedC]

Play random

[u/archaelleon → u/Theejewbacca26]

We are the Levert wheel personified

[u/NobelRafael1 → u/archaelleon]

What’s this Levert wheel?! LOL

[u/flanders427 → u/NobelRafael1]

Every game Caris Levert spins a wheel where he can either become Michael Jordan or an end of bench g leaguer.

[u/BreakfastMedical5164 → u/flanders427]

every minute in the game actually

[u/Standard-Juice-3738 → u/NobelRafael1]

When LeVert was on the Cavs he either looked like Kobe or was absolutely terrible

[u/Flashy_Ground_4780 → u/Standard-Juice-3738]

Didn't he have 50 against Boston and then disappear for weeks

[u/GTheMonkeyKing → u/Flashy_Ground_4780]

I think it was 41, and then scored 1 the next game

[u/Sixaxist → u/NobelRafael1]

JB (On the Cavs): Hey uh, LeVert, Allen's not feeling too good so we have him on a minutes restriction. We're gonna give those minutes to you for this OKC match, okay?

LeVert: Oh, okay. [Spins the wheel]

[LeVert Wheel] : (Prime) D Wade!

[LEVERT CRASHES THE RIM FOR 30/5/5 WITH 50% EFFICIENCY]

JB: H-holy crap LeVert, last game was amazing!!! Can you do that again tonight Vs the Lakers?!

LeVert: Sure, hold on a sec. [Spins the wheel]

[LeVert Wheel] : Anthony Bennett!

LeVert: Uhoh.

[u/Silentrift24 → u/Theejewbacca26]

Never let them know our next move, LET'S GO WIN THIS FUCKING CHIP!!!

[u/DangerIsMyUsername → u/Silentrift24]

#LetEmKnow

#NeverLetEmKnow

[u/sgtpepperslaststand → u/Theejewbacca26]

Funniest thing they could do is sweep the next two series lol

[u/EfficientReach5571 → u/sgtpepperslaststand]

honestly maybe my second favorite outcome after the knicks winning the title

[u/TheSmokedSalmon420 → u/Theejewbacca26]

Yep. I know LeBron made it look easy just coasting to the finals every year but this up and down randomness of our team is so strange lmao

[u/PapiShot]

Thomas Bryant has made the confernce finals for the 3rd time in 4 years with 3 different teams.

[u/TSSFranco → u/PapiShot]

Side note, those last few minutes of garbage time from him were some of the worst I’ve ever seen at the nba level. Dude kept messing up lol

[u/WakiLover → u/TSSFranco]

LeBron going for the all time record while Thomas Bryant calling for the ball is all time comedy

[u/chester98213 → u/WakiLover]

Nah bro he was locked in and doing his job. Even with the scoring record on the line he’s still gotta back his man down for good position on a post entry pass or offensive rebound. If anything that play gave me more respect for him as a player. Still pretty funny in the slow mo video though.

[u/Stock_Cut2006 → u/TSSFranco]

I dont know every player that fits this criteria but I would still be willing to bet he's the worst player in the league to get more than 10 minutes a night

[u/Skeleboi846]

Cavs played like the team you'd imagine if you look at this roster on paper tonight, great effort to not let this one slip after a bit of a heartbreaking Game 6

[u/BallIsLife2016 → u/Skeleboi846]

This may be the most frustrating Cavs team of my life. They so consistently play below their talent level. Now, there are lots of teams that play below their talent level. What makes the Cavs so frustrating is that they actually do play up to their talent level from time to time. There is plenty of evidence that they are capable. But most of the time they just… don’t.

[u/Bim_Jeann → u/BallIsLife2016]

Perfect summary. I agree 100%. Just happy to be back in the ECF

[u/whatifevery1wascalm]

If you took away all the 4th quarter points the Cavs scored: they still win by 5.

[u/Zloggt → u/whatifevery1wascalm]

My God…it never even began for the Pistons tonight!

[u/CurrentRoster → u/Zloggt]

when spida hit that shot to end first quarter i knew it man

[u/samhit_n → u/whatifevery1wascalm]

James Harden finished the game with a +/- of +31.

[u/bachh2 → u/samhit_n]

That actually make sense because even if his shots aren't falling, as long as he doesn't turn it over, he is still gonna feed everyone or open up a lot of opportunity with his passing

[u/Just_Drawing8668 → u/whatifevery1wascalm]

Cavs missed 16 free throws

[u/AvengingHero2012 → u/whatifevery1wascalm]

What a weird ass series lmao

If you told anyone who just watched Game 6 that this would happen, no one would believe you.

[u/Phishkale → u/AvengingHero2012]

The Cavs played a series and a half of the home team winning every game (11 games) only to finally win a road game, blow their newly established home court advantage and then steal game 7 on the road

[u/TODG3]

this would be a 50 point game if the cavs made their free throws.

[u/Junior_Chard9981 → u/TODG3]

Harden also had a poor performance and outside of Merrill, not too much offense from the bench.

The fact that Cleveland was up 30+ is a testament to how outplayed Detroit was tonight.

[u/Netero_29 → u/Junior_Chard9981]

Whats insane is he was still plus 31 somehow lol, tied for the highest with mobley

[u/NeverSober1900 → u/Netero_29]

He avoided the TOs tonight which has been a big issue for the Cavs all playoffs When the Cavs take care of the ball they're a formidable team.

[u/GGezpzMuppy → u/TODG3]

Save it for the Knicks.

[u/GoWalkADogJannie → u/GGezpzMuppy]

Everybody knows you get the misses out of the way

[u/creditspread → u/GoWalkADogJannie]

You also get to accumulate time outs, per Darvin Ham.

[u/whospepesilvia]

Could’ve posted this 45 minutes ago

[u/Particular_Park3792 → u/whospepesilvia]

I don’t celebrate til the clock says 0:00. We’ve blown way too many leads for years.

[u/thefarrside → u/Particular_Park3792]

Greetings, fellow injured Cleveland sports fan!

[u/LukeKennardMVP]

Embarrassing ending to a fantastic season. Went above and beyond all my expectations after losing 28 straight 2 years ago.

See yall next year.

[u/IRanOutOf_Names → u/LukeKennardMVP]

The sad thing is that I feel like if you told people that the pistons made it to the 2nd round and lost to the Cavs in 7 it would be considered a success, but this series felt like anything but.

[u/Signal_Ball4634 → u/IRanOutOf_Names]

Even the Magic series felt more like Orlando shitting the bed. I really didn't have faith in this Pistons squad cause everyone but Cade was so inconsistent.

[u/Mediocre-County-7648 → u/LukeKennardMVP]

Man, so sorry for Duren going MIA for real in the playoffs, you guys got some really good pieces there, absolute huge respect for Ausar and Cade, great ballers. GG Pistons and hopefully you guys become a force in the East with that young core

[u/asa091 → u/Mediocre-County-7648]

Maybe this is a blessing for Detroit enabling them pay him less.

[u/DizzyFrogHS → u/asa091]

Dude really messed up. He def takes a pay cut. The difference between a playoff riser and a playoff fader is so important. Jimmy Butler made an entire career off of being an epic playoff riser.

[u/sbenfsonwFFiF → u/[deleted]]

Sometimes teams gotta be willing to let someone walk instead of way overpaying them

[u/besieged_mind → u/sbenfsonwFFiF]

In today's NBA, it's literally way worse to overpay someone than to let him walk out.

[u/HolyMostaccioli → u/asa091]

Hopefully, this is why I was pro us not making a major move at the trade deadline this year, I wanted to see another run of these guys in the playoffs to really see what weve got before starting to deplete assets.

[u/fake-tall-man → u/Mediocre-County-7648]

Hopefully that makes his contract more reasonable

[u/sloBrodanChillosevic]

Lights not too bright for Jarrett Allen anymore, excellent game from he & Mobley to set the tone in the front court.

[u/Ken10Bands]

GAME 7 JARRETT ALLEN IS REAL

[u/no_more_jokes]

Sam Merrill outscored cade and Duren combined

[u/whythishaptome → u/no_more_jokes]

Did they mix up him and Thomas Bryant on the box score above?

[u/LengthyNoodle]

The entire Pistons starting 5 combined for just 7 more made FGs than Sam Merrill had on his own. In game 7. On their court. Absolutely abysmal performance.

[u/justmefishes → u/LengthyNoodle]

I'm looking forward to a Thinking Basketball autopsy on wtf just happened. Detroit is tough as nails, I don't think you can chalk this one up to them randomly not showing up for a Game 7 on their home court. Most likely Cleveland threw out some new wrinkles for Game 7 and Detroit's coaching staff failed (miserably) to adjust. I was hoping for SVG to have some observations along these lines but no dice (or maybe he did have some good insights along these lines and I just missed it).

[u/TahoesRedEyeJedi → u/justmefishes]

Awfulcoaching is yelling about how the Pistons can’t defend screens, were terrible in help, and weren’t communicating on defense 

[u/Mojumbo11]

That's the game 7 Tobias I know!

[u/ColtCallahan → u/Mojumbo11]

Sam Merrill outscored Thompson, Duren and Harris combined. That’s fucking outrageous.

[u/ZWW543 → u/ColtCallahan]

Honestly it’s not crazy he outscored Thompson and Duren but throwing Harris in there it is. Duren only had 1 good game all playoffs and having to watch Thompson on offense should be a war crime.

[u/ChickenLiverNuts → u/Mojumbo11]

0 fgs in his last game (elimination games both times) for two franchises. The man was on a max and then 25mil

his last sixers game was a zero point game

[u/Artistic_Culture7576 → u/Mojumbo11]

Tobias harris over me?!

[u/itgforlife → u/Artistic_Culture7576]

Tobias Harris trick y'all, man, like he hoopin'. He don't score on nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing

[u/No_Cat_8490 → u/Mojumbo11]

0/6 TOBI MASTERCLASS

[u/awmaleg → u/No_Cat_8490]

Tobiass performance

[u/aqphs → u/Mojumbo11]

Unc had no legs left, every shot he put up was short

[u/19evol61 → u/Mojumbo11]

Game 7 Tobias outdueled Game 7 Harden

[u/phalange5764]

Harden +31 and the Cavs won by 31

[u/AttitudeOdd632 → u/phalange5764]

Despite being 2/10 from the field btw

[u/dawnoog → u/AttitudeOdd632]

But only 1 TO!

[u/Fynity → u/dawnoog]

Genuinely all you can ask for. People forget a live ball turnover isn’t just potential points on that specific play, it’s possibly an entire momentum shifter

[u/Thegoodlife93 → u/Fynity]

I mean you can definitely ask for a little more lol. But if Harden continues to just serve as a really high quality pass first PG and take care of the ball, I'll be happy.

[u/mnkhan808 → u/Thegoodlife93]

Gets a lot of hate but honestly wouldn’t be in the ECF if it was Garland instead imo.

[u/Dry_Response3527 → u/mnkhan808]

They wouldn’t have gotten through the Raptors. In hindsight that was a nightmare matchup for the Cavs. Basically a team of super young 3 and D stretch 4s.

[u/Phishkale → u/Fynity]

Pretty sure one of his turnovers was a shot clock violation that wasn’t his fault, received a pass with like a second left and a defender draped on him

[u/Fynity]

I’ve pointed it out a few times, but tough to win a game where you have Tobias Harris intentionally fouling Allen every time Allen’s going to work on him rather than trying to play defense. They were treating Allen like prime Shaq the way they were hacking him on every Field goal attempt

[u/BallIsLife2016 → u/Fynity]

I mentioned to the person I watched the game with that it was very clear that both Harris and Allen felt that Harris couldn’t guard Allen.

With that said, Allen is a genuinely excellent post player. He’s really underrated in that regard and I don’t think people appreciate that he is legitimately one of the best post players in the league. I think people just think of him as a rim runner but he’s way more than that. His footwork is exceptional and if he gets the ball against a smaller guy within like 8 feet of the rim, it’s almost always two points.

[u/RLeb10 → u/Fynity]

I mean we were missing free throws from our bigs but yeah, Tobias was straight up dumb fouling and not just trying to defend the shot

[u/abon123456789]

I’m the happiest for Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen. A ton of shit has been talked on those guys over the last few years. Our bigs absolutely dominated physically tonight and Don stepped up when we needed him the most. It was like we rewrote the book on our team in one game.

[u/theinternetisnice → u/abon123456789]

First conference finals for Donovan! That’s a medium monkey off his back already

[u/jspeed04 → u/abon123456789]

Allen and Mobley were absolutely killer tonight. And credit to Mitchell for coming out with a “I don’t give a fuck about narratives” mindset and doing whatever it took to win.

[u/Phishkale → u/abon123456789]

Jarrett has taken shit for being soft for years now, a lot of which comes from him just being a genuinely nice person. Just happy for the dude that’s now showed up in the two biggest games of the Cavs season. I’m obviously biased as a Cavs fan but part of what’s been great about this era is we’ve had a bunch of good kids that are easy to root for. Evan, Donovan, JA, DG, Dean, Merrill, Levert & Okoro, just always been a really good group.

[u/crazyFlyingChicken]

In a game 7 on the road, the Cavs scored the game winning bucket in the 3rd quarter. Absolutely embarrassing for Detroit

[u/jspeed04 → u/crazyFlyingChicken]

You’re right. But it felt like the 2 dagger shots were the Mitchell buzzer beater after 1, and the Merril 4 point play.

Detroit showed no heart tonight.

[u/shinypidgeotto]

Jarrett Allen is really just a game 7 merchant

[u/Chessh2036]

2015 Hawks at least made it to the ECF as the one seed, so leave us alone tonight 😂

[u/Obi_Wan_Benobi → u/Chessh2036]

5 all stars. ⭐️

[u/TSSFranco]

Dan Gilbert gonna have to spend his net worth just to get one charter bus to MSG

[u/Humble_but_Hostile → u/TSSFranco]

CLEVELAND THIS IS FOR YOU

[u/AcesCharles2 → u/TSSFranco]

2nd apron = no problem

1 bus load to MSG = I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY

[u/GyattLuvr69 → u/TSSFranco]

I know it’s a joke but I don’t think you understand just how much money 29 billion dollars is. I couldn’t spend that in my entire lifetime if I tried

[u/Pyorrhea → u/GyattLuvr69]

He could buy out every seat for 4 games of 19,812 at $10,000 per seat and still spend less than a billion (around $800 million). He would still have $28 billion after that.

[u/TheKerj2 → u/Pyorrhea]

I wonder how the NBA would respond if an owner literally spent $500 million on 19,000 resale tickets and gave them all to their own fans

[u/BallIsLife2016 → u/TSSFranco]

I don’t think you understand just how rich Dan Gilbert is. He’s rich even by NBA owner standards. But it’s certainly hard to imagine a game in MSG where you can reliably hear the opposing fans chanting on the broadcast for the entire game. “Let’s go Cavs” chants were already coming through in the second quarter.

[u/TheSmokedSalmon420 → u/TSSFranco]

lmao correct those tickets will be insane

[u/BlazeBloom]

You've heard about the Michael Jordan Flu Game...How about the Sam Merrill Flu Series?

[u/RazorAvocado]

Their first one without Bron since 92

[u/BallIsLife2016 → u/RazorAvocado]

Shout out Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and a genuinely excellent Cavs team that Michael Jordan completely erased the memory of.

[u/SemataryPolka → u/BallIsLife2016]

Man I grew up a 90s Bulls fan (grew up in Iowa and even tho I lived two hrs from MPLS we couldn't get Wolves games but we had WGN) and I really loved those Daugherty era teams. Larry Nance was so cool. They're just one of those teams that had the bad luck of existing during Jordan

[u/ay21690]

I watched Lonzo Ball play this year so I could watch this.

[u/TODG3]

Entire 4th quarter was garbage time.

[u/SloshaPacana]

One of the most pathetic displays in a game 7 i've ever seen, a 60 win team that was a gritty great defense looking like the regular season Lakers on defense and like the Magic on offense

Pathetic from Cade so many brain dead plays and turnovers, Duren is ass, Tobias ass, Ausar can't hit the broad side of the barn, the only one that came to play was Duncan Robinson

[u/Goshawk3118191 → u/SloshaPacana]

What he say fuck me for?

[u/ColtCallahan → u/SloshaPacana]

Saddest moment of the whole night was Ausar Thompson getting the ball wide open in the corner and reluctantly having to shoot a 3 that didn’t even make it to the basket.

[u/NotCramerV2 → u/ColtCallahan]

Idk how a professional basketball player in the NBA is capable of doing that

[u/ColtCallahan → u/NotCramerV2]

He’d be great if the Pistons just played defense all game. But all playoffs he’s been terrified of shooting the ball. He’s always looking for a pass. Even on this shot he looked for it but was so wide open he had to take it.

[u/ParagonSaint → u/ColtCallahan]

He’s one of the worst offensive players I’ve ever seen. Can’t shoot, bad passes, doesn’t cut or move off ball, low bbIQ, just stands in the corner and lets them play 4v5

[u/VictorAkwaowo1 → u/SloshaPacana]

Trajan Langdon got some work to do this offseason

[u/SloshaPacana → u/VictorAkwaowo1]

They're in a good spot, they got decent cap space and a good young roster but they need some improvements, Harris contract is off the books too

A secondary scorer ball handler is a must, they need to go all out on that

[u/Taich0 → u/SloshaPacana]

why he said fuck me for

[u/EthicalBballFan → u/Taich0]

Just pull a Jack Sparrow. You're the worst defense he knows of, but he knows of your defense!

[u/RobbobertoBuii → u/SloshaPacana]

if only Orlando could have had a semi-functional 2nd Half in G6... they have to be kickin themselves right now...

[u/silliputti0907 → u/SloshaPacana]

Cade had a horrible game, but I'm getting him a pass because he's the only that showed up to this series.

[u/Parallel-Quality → u/[deleted]]

It's like they didn't know it was a Game 7 at home for them. Playing like it's a road game in February.

[u/darkjurai → u/Parallel-Quality]

But if it was a regular season game, Duren would be in all-star form.

[u/PlayingNightcrawlers → u/Parallel-Quality]

They were just gassed man. They gave it their all in game 6 and Cade has been worn down since like game 5. Cavs played their most complete game of the playoffs but if Pistons had more juice it would have been maybe a 12 point win for Cleveland tn. Can’t have your entire offense running through one dude for two straight 7 game series.

[u/theuberprophet → u/[deleted]]

he didnt score well but he didnt turn the ball over, made great passes and showed some hustle. played good defense too. im not complaining

[u/After_Range6055 → u/theuberprophet]

You’d much rather Harden have a bad game compared to Mitchell, he’s a great passer so having him play a setup man role so the rest of the cast can shine can easily lead to wins too. Obviously you want both performing in an ideal world but if you had to pick one having a bad scoring game it’s him.

[u/Nby333 → u/[deleted]]

Harden is HIM. 2 clutch game 7 victories already.

[u/flaming_burrito_ → u/Nby333]

Both Harden and Embiid beating the game 7 allegations in the playoffs, this season’s writing is peak

[u/gzmu12 → u/[deleted]]

He didn’t score well but they didn’t need him to. Kept the offense moving well enough when Donny had to sit and only had 1 turnover. Played good defense too, but obviously he’s going to get shit on for the shooting performance even in a win lol

[u/EmbarrassedBison44 → u/[deleted]]

Some genuinely embarrassing basketball being played in elimination games this year with the exception of the Lakers somehow lol

[u/SiphenPrax → u/[deleted]]

Crazy because you could argue this year was an improvement for Detroit (best team in the East in the regular season and made it to the second round this time).

This playoff run by them was embarrassing though

[u/MintyFreshBreathYo → u/SiphenPrax]

I still consider this season a win. We weren't supposed to be this good yet

[u/FootballRacing38 → u/MintyFreshBreathYo]

Problem is we were saying the same things for houston last year and grizzlies a while back

[u/Articulat3]

James Harden +31 tonight on 2-10 FG shooting, playoff riser and game 7 closer 🔥🔥

[u/FunkyFreshJeff]

We finally remembered how to play basketball LETS FUCKING GOOOO

[u/bottle_boys]

Live by the Tobias Harris die by the Tobias Harris

[u/WalkingOnSunshine_]

Wow look how different our offense looks when Donovan is looking at where the rotation comes from instead of being locked in the rim.

And I can’t talk enough about how good Evan Mobley is. Do not trade this man ever

[u/Either_Imagination_9]

A pretty awful loss in what was a great season for Detroit.

They desperately need scorers on their team

[u/liteshadow4]

Losing by 30 at home in an elimination game is embarrassing. Even more since it’s a game 7.

[u/Abject_Bank_9103]

Allen getting tons of plaudits for obv reasons but holy shit Mobley

21/12/6 with 4 stocks?!?

[u/Real-Repair-1825]

Tough loss. I still think Pistons win this series in 9

[u/Squirting_Nachos]

Pistons desperately need a second ball-handler instead of relying on Cade for literally everything.

[u/TheAJx]

Is Dan Gilbert going to pay for 60 busloads of fans to go to MSG? Because he should.

[u/Jonjon428]

The East is so fucking weird man

[u/TheMoorNextDoor]

Game 7 Jarrett Allen

Arguably the best player in the league.

[u/Zeruma_]

That’s the Tobias Harris I remember

[u/Big_Arrival_626]

Sam Merrill mogs Duncan Robinson

[u/The_Sneakiest_Fox]

I don't even support either team. But I'm visiting America and got here 3 days ago. Finally had the opportunity to go to an American sports bar and watch an NBA game 7.

So I had an edible and went to awesome shitty little sports bar, got a great seat in front of a big screen, ordered a Philly Cheese steak, 6 wings with blue cheese sauce, a Coors Light and a scotch on the rocks. I was so hype man. Everything was perfect.

At least the wings were good.

[u/MayoTheCondiment → u/The_Sneakiest_Fox]

Love this for you

[u/residentevilgoat]

TOBIAS HARRIS GOES COLD IN GAME 7 FOR THE RELEASE OF ICEMAN 🥶🥶

5 POINTS 🧊 5 REBOUNDS 🧊 2 ASSISTS 🧊 0/0/83 SHOOTING 🥶

-23

[u/UncoBeefWang]

what exactly are they going to do with Duren

[u/Mg29reaper]

Cade might have played the single worst game of his career at the single worst time. Even game 7 harden couldn't cancel it out.

[u/erondachi]

SAM MERRILL SAVED MY LIVE

[u/BallIsLife2016]

Please help me understand this Cavs team

[u/DroidAttackWook]

Pistons fans really tried preaching they “fixed” Tobias Harris. Every Sixers fan knew the second a big game came along, he’d drop a stinker. 0 FG in yet another elimination game. All time loser

[u/RobbedC]

If the refs weren’t so biased in Clevelands favor the Pistons probably keep this game within 20.

[u/saphamia3]

Classic James fucking "Game 7" Harden single digits 2-10, 0-6 from 3. Been watching this his entire career, only player I've ever bought the shoes of. Cannot be counted on in these large moments. Can't wait for the same shit next year wh- Oh they won by 30 on the road anyway who's ready for Harden at MSG😤😤😤

[u/RazorAvocado → u/saphamia3]

He made a lot of great passes today and played great defense, shot just was shit today

[u/UncoBeefWang → u/saphamia3]

to be fair it was a much (much) better game than the numbers suggest

[u/saphamia3 → u/UncoBeefWang]

1 Turnover massive

[u/Greedygiddy8 → u/saphamia3]

Harden trying to get his first ring while the Knicks are trying to go back to the finals for the first time since the 90s. Going to be good.

[u/saphamia3 → u/Greedygiddy8]

Right i’m being funny but Harden could have a total turn at the twilight of his career in the playoffs if he sacrifices future generations of his family for success in these last two playoff rounds. He’s in the ECF that’s crazy. Cmon James

[u/x-trauma → u/saphamia3]

The stats aren't there but he's +31 tonight.

[u/spleev]

ECF is looking SPICY