Only one of the four quarter-final series is going to a Game Seven:
EAST:
(1) Detroit 3 - 3 (4) Cleveland
(3) New York 4 - 2 (7) Philadelphia
WEST:
(1) Oklahoma City 4 - 0 (4) L.A. Lakers
(2) San Antonio 4 - 2 (6) Minnesota
Tonight, Detroit and Cleveland will settle their series at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Here are the scores of the first six games (home teams listed first):
05/05/26: Detroit 111 - 101 Cleveland
05/07/26: Detroit 107 - 97 Cleveland
05/09/26: Cleveland 116 - 109 Detroit
05/11/26: Cleveland 112 - 103 Detroit
05/13/26: Detroit 113 - 117 Cleveland (OT)
05/15/26: Cleveland 94 - 115 Detroit
Having survived Game Six on the road, Detroit should be favored to close out the series at home, and indeed they are favored by 4 1/2 points. They are also -186 on the Moneyline. ESPN gives them a 70.1 percent chance of victory.
But you can't see this game on ESPN, or TBS, or NBC, or any of the other places that have carried the NBA for most of my life. This game is on Amazon Prime Video, and I would love to know how many fans will actually figure this out.
In the regular season, Detroit went 60-22, winning the Central Division by eight games over the Cavaliers, who went 52-30.
The Cavs are wearing white uniforms, and Detroit is wearing what I always think of as their road uniforms. But I've noticed a lot of road teams wearing white in the playoffs, and I'm wondering if the whole uniform convention has changed while I wasn't paying attention.
ReplyDeleteAmazon has a very clean scorebug.
ReplyDeleteHere are the starters for Cleveland:
ReplyDeleteJarrett Allen, Center (6' 9", 243 lbs.) (Texas)
Evan Mobley, Center (6' 11", 215 lbs.) (USC)
James Harden, Guard (6' 5", 220 lbs.) (Arizona St.)
Donovan Mitchell, Guard (6' 2", 215 lbs.) (Louisville)
Max Strus, Forward (6' 5", 215 lbs.) (DePaul)
Here are the starters for Detroit:
ReplyDeleteTobias Harris, Forward (6' 8", 226 lbs.) (Tennessee)
Jalen Duren, Center (6' 10", 250 lbs.) (Memphis)
Cade Cunningham, Guard (6' 6", 220 lbs.) (Oklahoma St.)
Ausar Thompson, Forward (6' 7", 205 lbs.) (No college)
Daniss Jenkins, Guard (6' 4", 165 lbs.) (St. John's)
I must have seen Tobias Harris and Donovan Mitchell in school, but I don't remember them at all.
ReplyDeleteDetroit 7 - 8 Cleveland (6:49 left in the 1st)
ReplyDeleteDetroit 13 - 13 Cleveland (4:43 left in the 1st)
ReplyDeleteDetroit 22 - 31 Cleveland (end of 1st quarter)
ReplyDeleteDetroit 26 - 41 Cleveland (7:29 left in 2d quarter)
ReplyDeleteI love it when they stop the game for a jump ball. I wish we still had that rule in college basketball.
ReplyDeleteDetroit 35 - 55 Cleveland (2:53 left in 2d quarter)
ReplyDeleteDetroit 47 - 64 Cleveland (Halftime)
ReplyDeleteDetroit 49 - 72 Cleveland (10:12 left in 3d quarter)
ReplyDeleteDetroit 59 - 78 Cleveland (6:05 left in 3d quarter)
ReplyDeleteDetroit 73 - 99 Cleveland (end of 3d quarter)
ReplyDeleteAfter 40 minutes, Cleveland leads Detroit -- in Detroit -- 110 to 75. That is a staggering statement.
ReplyDeleteThe Cavs go into Detroit and crush the Pistons, 125 to 94. Cavs return to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since LeBron took them there in 2018. Unbelievable, really.
ReplyDeleteSo the NBA's Final Four is set:
ReplyDeleteEAST: (3) New York v. (4) Cleveland
WEST: (1) Oklahoma City v. (2) San Antonio