Cade Cunningham, Pistons fired up as series with Cavs looms

Some say the Cavaliers got what they wanted in the Detroit Pistons. The Central Division rivals will square off in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series that starts tonight at Little Caesars Arena. The teams split the regular-season series at two games apiece. After one of them, an unnamed Cleveland player reportedly chirped the Pistons "are not in our class." A reporter asked Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff about the comment. "If you mean it, you don't say it anonymously," he replied. The bravado is sure to be locker room billboard material. Both teams are coming off grueling seven-game series in the first round. The Cavs know it's not going to be a cake walk, especially since Detroit holds home-court advantage and earned the No. 1 seed in the East. "We took another step mentally," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said after his team won Game 7 over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. "This series galvanized us. "The playoffs are about advancing. I don't think we played great. This was a struggle." Atkinson said he saw some similarities between Toronto and the Pistons, especially on defense. "They are mentally and physically tough," he said of Detroit. "We'll go in there as underdogs. It will be a challenge. Hopefully, this series prepared us for that one." Cavs point guard James Harden said it all starts with Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham, who averaged 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists in 64 games this season. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, had 32 points and 12 assists in Game 7 against the Orlando Magic. "Cade is the head of the snake," he said. "They are a really good team. They are going to be another handful." Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell said the Pistons have done a "phenomenal job" under Bickerstaff, who was fired as Cleveland's head coach in 2024. "They are physical," he said. "They are tough. It will be a tall task. We'll have to find a way to win one on the road. At the end of the day, we'll have to go steal one (in Detroit)." Cleveland is making its third consecutive appearance in the East semifinals. It has yet to advance to the East finals. The Cavs have faced Detroit in the postseason four times previously, and have won three of them (2007, 2009 and 2016). They are 15-6 lifetime against Detroit in the playoffs and have 12 in a row, which ties the longest postseason winning streak against one team in NBA history. "We still have a lot to prove," Atkinson said. "We need to take the next step." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.