The Cleveland Cavaliers are headed to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018 after a dominant 125-94 Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena.
While Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley led the way on the court, Sam Merrill’s postgame comments captured the emotion surrounding Cleveland’s playoff breakthrough after two consecutive seven-game series.
“You can’t take moments like this for granted,” Merrill said. “Nothing better than winning a Game 7 on the road, no doubt.”
Merrill finished with 23 points off the bench and knocked down five 3-pointers as Cleveland overwhelmed Detroit physically and offensively. The Cavaliers outscored the Pistons 58-34 in the paint and held the East’s top seed to 35.3% shooting.
The sharpshooter reflected on a previous Game 7 experience during his rookie season with Milwaukee, when Kevin Durant’s near series-winning shot against the Bucks became one of the defining playoff moments of recent years.
“I remember I was on the opposite baseline,” Merrill said. “So when he made that shot I thought it was a three. So I thought we were done.”
Merrill said moments like Sunday’s victory are why players endure the grind of the postseason.
“To win a game like this, these are some of the best moments you can have and it’s a lot of fun,” Merrill said. “We got such a good group, such a resilient group and we have a lot more that we want to achieve.”
Much of Merrill’s media session centered on Mitchell, who scored 26 points and added eight assists while helping Cleveland close the series after Detroit forced a Game 7 with a road win Friday.
“Donovan is someone that, it’s hard to describe what Donovan means to me,” Merrill said.
The two were briefly connected during Merrill’s early professional years around the Utah Jazz organization, and Merrill detailed how Mitchell supported him after he earned a call-up from the Cleveland Charge.
“He’s been such a great dude,” Merrill said. “You’re not going to find a guy more happy for him than I am.”
Merrill also explained why Mitchell has become the emotional leader of Cleveland’s locker room.
“You see the work that he puts in every day,” Merrill said. “He’s one of the first ones in the gym.”
According to Merrill, Mitchell’s leadership extends beyond scoring and star power.
“It’s that relentless positivity that he has,” Merrill said. “His leadership, his commitment to developing camaraderie and chemistry, all that stuff, he does such a great job of and that’s why we look up to him so much.”
Merrill also praised Allen, who added 23 points and seven rebounds while controlling stretches of the second half.
“When he gets into that mode, he looks like one of the best players in the world,” Merrill said. “When he’s like that with James and Don and Evan, we’re tough to beat.”
Cleveland’s playoff path has already included seven games against Toronto in the first round and another seven-game battle against Detroit in the semifinals. Merrill believes those experiences have strengthened the group heading into a conference finals matchup against the New York Knicks.
“You’d love to sweep every series, but I think these have been great opportunities for us to get to know each other a little better, develop some more belief, and just continue to get better,” Merrill said. “That’s what the playoffs are about.”
