Cavaliers advance to face Pistons, J.B. Bickerstaff in second round
The Cavaliers and Pistons will clash in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Each team advanced by winning a Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs.
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers know the Detroit Pistons extremely well because the two Eastern Conference teams reside in the Central Division and Pistons coach J. B. Bickerstaff guided the Cavs for four-plus seasons until he was fired in May 2024.
The Cavs hired coach Kenny Atkinson as Bickerstaff's replacement. Nearly two years later, Atkinson and the Cavs will meet Bickerstaff and the Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals, otherwise known as the second round of the NBA playoffs. The Pistons went 60-22 in the 2025-26 regular season to capture the East's No.
1 playoff seed. They will have home-court advantage in a best-of-seven series against the Cavs, who earned the East's No. 4 seed amid a bevy of injuries with a regular-season record of 50-32.
In the first round, the Cavs and Pistons seized 4-3 series wins over the No. 5 Toronto Raptors and No. 8 Orlando Magic , respectively.