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The Detroit Pistons had a chance to clinch Game 7 at home at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday night.
Instead, they looked awful, and took a beating from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who pounded the Pistons all game long, winning 125-94.
The Pistons were never the best team in the league during the year, but they often outworked other teams and played tough defense.
That Pistons team was nowhere to be seen Sunday night.
Detroit's Cade Cunningham looked as if he had little gas left in the tank, having carried the team this far in the playoffs. Ditto for Tobias Harris.
But this Cleveland team ended up being too good, exposing the holes in the Pistons' roster.
Of course, we can make excuses that Dan Gilbert's Cavaliers have the biggest payroll in the NBA at $228.6 million, compared to Pistons, who rank in the bottom third with about $170 million payroll.
Here's what sports writers had to say.
Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press:
A dream Detroit Pistons season ended with a nightmare.
Nothing went right for the Pistons in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, May 17. They struggled to make shots. Their defense never showed up. The flaws apparent during the regular season were magnified on their home floor as the Cavaliers delivered blow after blow after blow and ran away with, what else, a blowout victory, 125-94
They shot just 35.3% overall and 30.8% from 3 in an all-around putrid offensive performance with the season on the line. A team that formed its identity around defensive intensity and extra efforts lacked both in front of their home crowd. The 29-point loss is the franchise's worst in a Game 7 by orders of magnitude; the previous worst had been a seven-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the 2005 NBA Finals.
The Pistons had their poorest performance of the season at a critical moment. Four players scored in double figures, with Daniss Jenkins leading the way with 17 points and five assists.
Cade Cunningham finished with a career-playoff low of 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting, 0-for-7 from behind the arc, to go along with five assists and four rebounds in 37 minutes. Duncan Robinson added 13 points off the bench, while Caris LeVert finished with 11, also off the bench
The Pistons were beaten from the opening tip, beaten to the ball, beaten to the basket, beaten in every way. They played as if they didn’t know where they were, or how they got here.
It was a dreadful performance that should sting badly, but ultimately shouldn’t define them. After spending an entire season defying basketball norms, the Pistons were beaten by traditional NBA staples — star talent, urgency. There was no Game 7 drama on this night, not much tension and not nearly enough passion. Having witnessed their competitive spirit all season, it was shocking how meekly they went, inexplicable and inexcusable.
Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press:
Let it hurt. Let it sting like hairspray in their eyes. Let it haunt their sleep for weeks to come. Then maybe next time the Detroit Pistons get a Game 7 at home to advance to the Eastern Conference finals, they won’t play as if they’re chasing a bus that left without them.
In their worst defensive effort of the 2026 NBA playoffs, at the biggest moment of the entire season, the Pistons let the Cleveland Cavaliers whip them in the scoring game, the passing game, the rebounding game, the assists game and the coaching game. Cleveland did everything but pull the Pistons’ pants down.
Possession after possession, the Cavs fed their big men, who ate up the Pistons. Layups. Soft bankers. Lob passes. Endless free throws. Detroit was late to 3-pointers; the Cavs swished them. Detroit was late to 50-50 balls; the Cavs swiped them.
