Mitchell leads – Donovan Mitchell made his Cavaliers breakthrough to the conference finals, scoring 26 points as Cleveland routed Detroit 125-94 in Game 7 away from home and earned a trip to New York to open the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks.
The moment Donovan Mitchell finished the job, it looked like the Cavaliers’ long wait finally ended on the court.. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. he delivered 26 points. seven rebounds. and eight assists to lead Cleveland to a 125-94 rout of the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. in Detroit and no less. turning a ninth-season climb into a trip to the conference finals for the first time.
Cleveland’s win set up Game 1 of the East finals in New York against the Knicks on Tuesday.. By the time Mitchell’s night was over with 4:01 remaining, the celebration wasn’t subtle.. There were handshakes and hugs for anyone in Cleveland colors. and Mitchell even leaned down to wrap his arms around head coach Kenny Atkinson. who was seated and still seemingly locked into the game.
Mitchell’s path to this stage has been shaped by timing and rebuilds. He was brought to Cleveland in September 2022 in a trade with Utah, with the Cavaliers betting—correctly—that he would be the last piece of their post-LeBron James rebuild and help them return to the playoffs.
Cleveland did reach the first round in 2023, then fell in the second round in 2024 and 2025. This year, the conference finals arrived after a Game 7 road win described as the third-biggest road win a team has ever had in a Game 7.
Individually, Mitchell has kept moving forward even when playoff endings kept arriving too soon.. He has been an All-Star in each of the last seven seasons. one of eight players to receive at least one vote in this year’s MVP balloting. and he will likely be an All-NBA pick for the third time.. Still, there was a void: the deep playoff run.
That “almost” feeling has followed him through multiple seasons.. His Utah team squandered a 3-1 lead in the 2020 playoff bubble against Denver in the West semifinals. losing in seven games.. A year later. the Jazz were up 2-0 in Round 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers. who finished the series in six.. Mitchell also got hurt in Round 2 against Boston as Cleveland’s 2024 series fell apart. and last year the Cavaliers went 0-3 at home in the second round against Indiana on the way to a five-game ouster.
The pattern shows how this breakthrough fits into the bigger picture of his career in Cleveland.. The Cavaliers repeatedly reached Round 2—Mitchell was part of a No.. 1 seed in 2021 and again last year—and every time it ended there. until Sunday’s Game 7 win against Detroit changed the next destination.
With the Eastern Conference finals now set, Mitchell’s breakthrough carries extra weight: he has reached the NBA’s final four in his ninth season, and Cleveland is sending him into his first conference finals as a Cavalier, rewarded with a Knicks matchup beginning Tuesday in New York.
NBA Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Donovan Mitchell Kenny Atkinson Eastern Conference semifinals Game 7 New York Knicks Mitchell 26 points