Jarrett Allen led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third straight season as the Detroit Pistons won their first playoff series in 18 years.
Allen had 22 points and 19 rebounds in Cleveland’s 114-102 win over Toronto, becoming only the second player in franchise history, after LeBron James, to have at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in Game 7 on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham had 32 points and 12 assists and Tobias Harris added 30 points as the Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 116-94 in Game 7.
“I had a really good time, honestly, that was the first seven games I played,” said Allen, who recorded his 11th double-double in the playoffs and tied for the all-time postseason scoring record.
“Driving here from home was a unique experience. It was like, ‘I’m going to game seven and everything is at stake.’ It’s just a different feeling I’ve ever had. The crowd is into it and I’m into it.”
Allen missed most of March due to right knee tendonitis, but averaged 28.5 minutes of playing time, 11.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in the series.
The Cavaliers will be hoping to get the same result from Allen when their Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pistons begin Tuesday in Detroit.
“It’s going to be that way in the playoffs,” Evan Mobley said. “We’ve had a lot of players who have stepped up throughout this series. Every game is someone different and we’re going to need them to go out day and night as we go on.”
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Highlights from Game 7 of the NBA first-round playoff game between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons became the 15th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and the second team in the last two nights since the Philadelphia 76ers came back to eliminate Boston.
“I mean, it’s expected,” Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff said of the team’s resilience. “And that’s the amount of faith we have in this group. This is a special group, and you can’t count us out. No matter what the situation is, no matter what the situation is, I love the opportunity for us to get back.”
They rallied from a 24-point deficit in Game 6 in Orlando to take the series at home. Orlando scored just 113 points over the final six quarters of the series, an average of 18.8 points per period.
Cunningham and Harris became the first Pistons teammates to score 30 points in a playoff game since Bob Lanier (33) and Howard Porter (30) against the Golden State Warriors in 1977.
