DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons’ bid for a first trip to the Eastern Conference finals since 2008 collapsed Sunday night, as the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 125-94 victory in Game 7 at Little Caesars Arena.
Cleveland’s win ended the season for the top-seeded Pistons, who entered the playoffs with 60 regular-season victories but exited with the third-largest postseason loss ever by a 60-win team, according to ESPN Research.
With 5:51 remaining and Detroit trailing by 34, coach J.B. Bickerstaff pulled All-Star guard Cade Cunningham. Cunningham hugged Bickerstaff and each teammate before sitting down, finishing with a playoff career-low 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting, five assists and three turnovers. He missed all seven of his three-point attempts.
“That game sucked,” Cunningham said. “Being back home, definitely wanted to get this win for the fans. It reminded me of last year, losing on the home court.”
Detroit faced a 31-22 deficit after one quarter and was down 17 at halftime—the second-largest halftime gap for a No. 1 seed in a Game 7 since seeding began in 1983-84, per ESPN Research. The Pistons managed only 34 points in the paint, matching their season low.
Despite the lopsided finish, Bickerstaff rejected the idea that the season was a disappointment. “It’s not a disappointment at all,” he said. “These guys, every single day, gave us what they got. It’s a loss and it’s a tough loss, but that adjective will never be used with this group.”
Detroit had entered the night having won four straight elimination games, including a seven-game first-round series against the Orlando Magic. Home teams, however, have struggled recently in decisive games; since 2017 (excluding the 2020 bubble), they are 14-15 in Game 7s, compared with 101-25 before that span.
Guard Ausar Thompson, limited to five points, vowed to remember the feeling of Sunday’s defeat. “I’m not forgetting it,” he said. “That series, that felt personal.”
Detroit now turns to an offseason focused on extending the progress that produced this year’s No. 1 seed—and on avoiding a repeat of the abrupt ending that closed it.
Source: ESPN
