By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit. NBA.com
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Donovan Mitchell will make his first trip to the Conference Finals in his career.
Mitchell finally got over the second-round hump after the Cavs dominated the Detroit Pistons, 125-94, on the road in Game 7 on Sunday night. The Pistons are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Cavaliers haven’t forgotten how they felt after losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round last season as the No. 1 seed.
Mitchell and the Cavs can breathe a little bit. However, the task will only get tougher as they will face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, who swept the Philadelphia Sixers in the second round. The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers won’t be getting in their way this season. We will see a new Eastern Conference champion.
The Cavs were in complete command against the Pistons. Mitchell impacted the game not just with his scoring but also with his facilitating. He had a lousy performance in Game 6, but made amends in Game 7. He made his teammates better.
Mitchell finished with 26 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, and scored or assisted on 43 points. Cleveland had four players finish with 20 points, tying the franchise record for most in a playoff game. The 31-point victory for Cleveland was the third-largest by a road team in a Game 7,
The last time the Knicks and Cavs faced each other in the playoffs was during the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The Knicks won in five games. The Knicks are 12-2 overall against the Cavs in playoff history.
The Knicks and Cavs met three times in the regular season. The Knicks won the first game, 119-111, on October 29. On Christmas Day, both teams put on a show, but the Knicks won 126-124. On Feb 24, the Cavs won 109-94.
After losing Game 3 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the Knicks have been dominant. They have won eight in a row, and their offense looks dangerous.
Game One begins on Tuesday at 8 pm in Madison Square Garden.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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