Jarrett Allen sent the Cleveland Cavaliers into the Eastern Conference semi-finals for the third straight season as the Detroit Pistons won their first playoff series in 18 years.
Allen’s 22 points and 19 rebounds in Cleveland’s 114-102 victory over Toronto made him the second player in franchise history with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a Game 7 on Sunday behind LeBron James.
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 great time doing it. Honestly, that was my first game seven I’ve ever played in,” said Allen, who had his 11th double-double in a playoff game and tied a postseason high in scoring.
“It was a unique experience driving here from my house. It’s like, ‘I’m going to a game seven, everything’s on the line.’ It’s just a different feeling that I’ve never experienced before. The crowd’s into it, I’m into it.”
Allen missed most of March due to right knee tendonitis, but averaged 28.5 minutes of playing time in this series along with 11.4 points and 8.3 rebounds.
The Cavaliers are hoping to get the same from Allen when their Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Pistons begins on Tuesday in Detroit.
“That’s what it’s going to take in the playoffs,” Evan Mobley said. “There are a lot of guys who stepped up throughout this whole series. Every game is somebody else, and we’re going to need that night in and night out as we keep going.”
The Pistons became the 15th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and the second in the last two nights, after the Philadelphia 76ers came back to eliminate Boston.
“I mean, it’s expected,” Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff said of his team’s resiliency. “And that’s the amount of belief that we have in this group. This is a special group. And you can’t count us out. No matter the circumstances, no matter the situation, I like our chances to fight our way back.”
They trailed by 24 points in Game 6 in Orlando before rallying to take the series at home. Orlando only scored 113 points in the final six quarters of the series – an average of 18.8 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.
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