The Detroit Pistons renew their rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs.
Cleveland has won 11 straight playoff games against the Pistons dating to 2007, but all featured LeBron James on its roster and the last came in 2016.
Game 1 is Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, with the Pistons opening as a 3½-point favorite.
This is a matchup of star power and depth. The Cavaliers are a completely different team than the Orlando Magic, whom the Pistons finally vanquished in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon. The Pistons do resemble the tough, athletic, poor-shooting Toronto Raptors − the team the Cavs dispatched in Game 7 on Sunday night − a bit.
The Cavs boast experienced playmaking and shotmaking with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, and two talented, slender bigs in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
The Pistons counter with All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham, Defensive Player of the Year third-place finisher Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren.
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Here are our staff predictions for the Cavaliers vs. Pistons series in the 2026 Eastern Conference semifinals:
Omari Sankofa II
After a grueling seven-game series against Orlando, the Pistons now have to contend with Cleveland’s big frontcourt. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley will try to take away the paint, where Detroit typically thrives. It might take more heroics from Cade Cunningham, but defense and depth should carry the Pistons over the top and to their first conference finals since 2008. The pick: Pistons in 7.
Shawn Windsor
Before the playoffs started, I figured we’d get this matchup and that the Cavaliers would win in 6. The matchup is tough for the Pistons, as Cleveland can spread out and score from everywhere and protect the rim on defense. But after watching Detroit solve Orlando and, frankly, themselves, I’ll take the Pistons’ chemistry and toughness to figure out a tough matchup once again. The pick: Pistons in 7.
Christian Romo
If this were a well-rested Pistons team, it’d be pretty easy to pick them over a Cavs team that barely squeaked by the overperforming Raptors. But the second round is new territory for these Pistons, outside of Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson, and they’ll learn quickly how much fresh legs and top-level execution matters against teams as experienced as Cleveland. The pick: Cavs in 6.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons vs Cavs predictions in second round: Star power vs tenacity
Reporting by Christian Romo, Omari Sankofa II and Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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