The Cleveland Cavaliers did not make it easy on their run to the NBA Eastern Conference finals, but they made it. After fumbling a chance to end the series versus the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 at home, the Cavaliers took care of business in Game 7, crushing Detroit to advance to play the New York Knicks for a spot in the NBA Finals.
Donovan Mitchell bounced back, leading the way for the Cavaliers as he outplayed Cade Cunningham, and he made an impact in multiple facets of the game. Mitchell had a game-high 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. That was exactly the game he needed to play to make up for his lack of success and consistency in this series prior to Game 7.
The real story to me was how dominant the front court was for the Cavaliers. Jarrett Allen, something about Game 7s for him. In this closeout game, he had 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block. He was so effective in the paint, and that was the perfect complement to Mitchell’s effectiveness scoring outside, and a great performance from Sam Merrill from 3.
Evan Mobley also followed Allen’s impact with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks. There was nothing the Pistons could do about Allen and Mobley in the paint, and the two were just as effective on defense, protecting the paint. When the Cavaliers have their frontcourt playing at this level, they are extremely hard to beat.
James Harden did not play that well, but it still seemed as if the Cavaliers’ main guys were playing in full synergy. Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Mitchell, and Harden all will have to be more consistent to take down the New York Knicks in the next series.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Evan Mobley, Cavaliers move to Eastern Conference finals vs Knicks
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
