The recent second round series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons was another very entertaining series in this very eventful and highly entertaining 2026 NBA playoffs.
Games one and two of the series went by very fast. The Pistons did not waste time early on, and they battled it out in the first game. Winning it by a final of 111-101, they approached the Cavaliers well and used their speed to their advantage, forcing lots of turnovers and beating the Cavaliers in the fast break. Game two went pretty similarly. The Pistons again took advantage of their speed, forcing turnovers by getting the ball out of Cavalier star Donovan Mitchell’s hands and forcing other guys to handle the ball. They ended up winning this one by 10 points again, in a 107-97 victory.
This series looked like it was going to be done quickly, but Mitchell and the Cavaliers had other plans. The Cavaliers took care of business in game three at home and won in a close 116-109 victory, making it a 2-1 series. They again took care of business at home and won game four 112-103. The Cavaliers then proceeded to go and win game five in Detroit as well. The series yet again looked like it might be over quickly, but the Pistons came out firing and ended up taking game six in Cleveland, evening out the series and three games a piece. Game seven looked like it could really go either way. Besides the first two games, the Cavaliers had looked like they were the better team in the series, but the Pistons had home court advantage and the momentum, as they had just picked up a big win in game six in Cleveland. This was going to be a really close game, and this game was going to come down to the wire. Or was it?
Game seven was pretty close early on, and both teams came out playing hard. At the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers had an early 31-22 lead. But the Pistons still had some momentum, and they were at home. However, in the second quarter, the Cavaliers just kept scoring, and the Pistons couldn’t keep up. The Cavaliers outscored the Pistons again by eight points in the second quarter, and they took a commanding 64-47 halftime lead. And, from there, the Cavaliers did not turn back, and the Pistons could not catch up. The Cavaliers ended up winning the game 125-94 and taking the series, moving on to the Eastern Conference finals.
Overall, this was a very exciting series, and I think ultimately the better team came out on top. Even if the Pistons were the higher seed, the Cavaliers were definitely the better team overall, as they just had more depth and were basically better than the Pistons in every position except for point guard. The Cavaliers are going into an interesting series with the Knicks in the Eastern Conference as the Knicks are probably a better all around team. But the Cavaliers do have some momentum from the Pistons series, and they are definitely talented enough to take a series from the Knicks. The Cavaliers’ role players are going to have to be really solid the whole series for them to end up winning it, but you never know. We will see how it ends up turning out.
