Former No. 1 overall picks Paolo Banchero and Cade Cunningham have led the No. 8 Orlando Magic and No. 1 Detroit Pistons into a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.
Each week, NBA.com’s writers will weigh in on some of the most important topics around the league.
Who do you think will win Game 7s this weekend?
Steve Aschburner
Boston over Philadelphia, Detroit over Orlando and Cleveland over Toronto. Guess I’m a bit of a homer with these picks, choosing the home team in each case. But home court – more specifically, home crowd – is no joke in a Game 7, regardless of who won where leading up to it. Boston has the muscle memory to get this done, given reports that Jayson Tatum will play. The Sixers, alas, mostly have strained-muscle memory.
Detroit can restore order and salvage the value of the No. 1 seed. And to be honest, Orlando can poetically seal its erratic season with a loss that, please, is a little less dysfunctional than their offense-on-a-bender collapse in Game 6. That leaves Cleveland saving face and maybe some jobs and roster spots by avoiding a fourth consecutive too-soon playoff exit, based on the promise of the Cavs’ regular seasons each year.
Brian Martin
The numbers say to go with the home team in a Game 7. In NBA history, home teams are 115-40 (.742) in Game 7s. But after this weekend, I think that record will be 117-41.
Orlando had the series in its hands — leading by 24 at home in Game 6 with a chance to close out the top seed — and scored just 19 second-half points as the Pistons rallied to force Game 7. I’ve got the Pistons riding that momentum swing back to the 313 and winning their first playoff series since 2008.
Toronto nearly blew a Game 6 lead of its own before RJ Barrett’s friendly bounce on the game-winning 3 helped the Raptors win at home and force a Game 7 back in Cleveland. This is the only series that has seen the home team win each game. I’ve got that trending continuing with Donovan Mitchell — who leads all active players with three 50-point playoff games — having a big night to help the Cavs clinch.
The Sixers won both Game 5 in Boston and Game 6 in Philly by double digits and seem to have the Celtics on their heels heading into Game 7 — holding Boston under 100 points and below 30% from 3-point range in back-to-back games. If the Sixers can replicate that defense, while continuing to get a boost from a resurgent Joel Embiid, alongside Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, Philly can punch its ticket to the East Semis.
Shaun Powell
All home teams will advance, though none of them easily. Starting with the Celtics over the Sixers. Momentum and Tyrese Maxey are on Philly’s side against the Celtics but it’s hard to beat a team three straight times and close out on their court, even with a healthy Joel Embiid. The Raptors have looked surprisingly frisky against the Cavs but maybe this is the game where they’ll miss Immanuel Quickley. And it’s a statement game for Donovan Mitchell. Meanwhile, the Magic, a team that can’t decide if it’s decent or disastrous, could be running out of tricks at the most inappropriate time. Besides, it’s tough to imagine Cade Cunningham allowing the Pistons to blow its status as a top seed in the first round. Of the three teams hosting Game 7s, Boston seems most vulnerable.
John Schuhmann
Boston, Orlando and Cleveland — Over the course of NBA history and excluding 2020, home teams are 113-38 (.748) in Game 7s. But over the last five years (post-Bubble), the road teams are 9-7. And all three road teams have a shot this weekend. The Sixers have really outplayed the Celtics over the last two games, the Pistons have looked shaky, and the Cavs haven’t quite solved Toronto’s defense.
But the Celtics dominating the Sixers in Game 7 in Boston three years ago is still fresh in mind, and the Cavs probably realized in the fourth quarter on Friday (a little too late) that they’re allowed to play some good defense too. Orlando-Detroit feels like the closest to a toss-up, because the score might be in 80s. So the pick is Orlando, because straight chalk would be no fun.
Jeff Zillgitt
I’m with Shaun and going with the home team in the three Game 7s this weekend. The Celtics are not strangers to Game 7 losses at home. Boston lost a series finale at home in 2023 and at home in 2018. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were members of both teams, albeit Brown was a second-year player and Tatum was a rookie in 2018. Point is, the Celtics aren’t invincible at home. Yet, Philadelphia would need to win its third road game of the series to advance. That’s a tough ask.
The Pistons were down 3-1 and not only forced Game 7 against Orlando, but they came back from a 24-point, third-quarter deficit on the road and won by 14. That might just be too much for Orlando to overcome on the road with Franz Wagner (strained right calf) likely out against the top-seeded, 60-win Pistons.
You play for home-court advantage in series so you can have Game 7 at home. The home team has won every game in the Cleveland-Toronto series, and that trend continues with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Co., advancing.
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