Harden spared another NBA humiliation as $210m star fires contender in conference finals
SGA goes back-to-back for NBA's MVP | 00:39The Cleveland Cavaliers have stormed into the Eastern Conference Finals after a ruthless 125-94 Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons, sealing the series 4-3 in emphatic fashion.
Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs. |It was a day where everything clicked for Cleveland and nothing fell for Detroit.
A blistering first half set the tone, with the Cavaliers piling on 64 points before the break and stretching the margin to 17 at halftime after Donovan Mitchell capped the quarter with a half-court buzzer-beater that silenced the home crowd. From there, the game never really came back. Mitchell led the way with 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Jarrett Allen matched him in dominance with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Sam Merrill delivered the shock of the night off the bench, pouring in 23 points with five triples, and Evan Mobley filled the box score with 21 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals. For veteran James Harden, the victory marks his first Conference Finals appearance since 2018, when he led the Houston Rockets into a heavyweight Western Conference Finals clash with the Golden State Warriors.
That series is still remembered for Houston’s extraordinary 27 straight missed three-pointers in a decisive Game 7 defeat. Since that run, Harden’s playoff story has been defined by near misses, falling in the second round five times across stints with the Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. More recently, back-to-back first-round exits with the LA Clippers alongside Kawhi Leonard added to the frustration.
Now with Cleveland, Harden finally gets another shot at the final stages of a title push, playing a supporting role alongside Donovan Mitchell. His Game 7 performance was quiet, finishing with nine points on 2-of-10 shooting, including 0-of-6 from three, along with five rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes, but it was enough to help Cleveland over the line and into the next round.
Source: Getty Images The Pistons, who built their season on defensive intensity and transition pressure, never found their rhythm. They shot just 35.3% for the game and 30.8% from three, while their defence repeatedly broke down under Cleveland’s pace and spacing. It was their worst Game 7 defeat in franchise history, a 29-point blowout that underlined just how far they fell short when it mattered most.
Cade Cunningham finished with 13 points, five assists and four rebounds in a quiet night, including a second half where he went scoreless from the field after missing all six of his shots. Daniss Jenkins led Detroit with 17, while Jalen Duren added seven points and nine rebounds. Tobias Harris managed just five points on 0-for-6 shooting, and Paul Reed was limited to four.
The Pistons were still within reach early in the second quarter, but a free-throw imbalance and Cleveland’s growing control of the paint and perimeter quickly stretched the gap. A short-lived push in the third quarter, capped by a Duncan Robinson three, was met immediately by a Cavaliers 10-0 run that shut the door on any comeback hopes.
Top-seeded Detroit also entered the record books for the wrong reason, becoming the 14th team in NBA history to trail by 17 or more points at halftime of a Game 7, with all previous 13 teams going on to lose. For the Pistons, the season ends in frustration and a looming off-season reset, with their attention now shifting to the NBA Draft later this year.
For Cleveland, the reward is a first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2018, where they will meet the New York Knicks.
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