Donovan Mitchell finally reached the conference finals for the first time in his nine NBA postseason appearances after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 125-94 blowout of the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday night.

ā€œA breath of fresh air,ā€ Mitchell said of advancing to the conference title round. ā€œBut this wasnā€™t the goal when we started the season. Even last year I said, when we lost to Indiana, we had our goals set on getting to the NBA Finals. And weā€™re just one step closer. But yeah, itā€™s been almost a decade of running into the same issue. So sure, I personally and as a team, we can breathe a little bit. But on the same token, we can only breathe for about 12 hours and then get right back to it. So itā€™s a balance, itā€™s a blessing.ā€

Cleveland, the Eastā€™s fourth seed, completed the upset over top-seeded Detroit after trailing the series 0-2. The Cavaliers responded with three consecutive victories before the Pistons forced a deciding game with a Game 6 win. In Game 7, Cleveland controlled the matchup from the opening quarter and ended up winning by 31 points, the third-largest margin ever by a road team in a Game 7, according to ESPN Research.

Mitchell finished with 26 points, six rebounds and eight assists without committing a turnover. His eight assists were his highest in a game this postseason, and he became the first guard since Kobe Bryant in 2002 to record at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists with zero turnovers in a Game 7. Mitchell also set the tone for the Cavaliers early with a buzzer-beating heave from just inside half court at the end of the first quarter.

Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each scored 23 points, while Evan Mobley contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds. Cleveland shot 50.6% from the field, outscored Detroit 58-34 in the paint and held the Pistons to 35.3% shooting.

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Mitchell averaged 28.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists during the seven-game series while shooting 45.1% from the field. Through 14 playoff games, he has averaged 25.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. During the regular season, Mitchell averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds across 70 starts, earning his seventh straight All-Star selection.

The Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018 and will face the third-seeded New York Knicks beginning Tuesday in New York.