• The Matchup: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons (Game 1)
• The Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
• Where to Watch: NBC Sports / Peacock / Prime Video

The I-75 rivalry is officially back online. Yesterday, both teams survived a brutal first-round gauntlet to book their tickets to the Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Pistons dominated the Orlando Magic 116–94 in their Game 7, while the Cavs powered through the Toronto Raptors 114–102. Now, we get a best-of-seven series that any sports fan will hope is reminiscent of those legendary mid-2000s defensive wars.

Here’s what to look for.

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Detroit vs Cleveland

• Detroit’s Core: Cade Cunningham is coming off a 32-point, 12-assist masterpiece in Game 7.
• Cleveland’s Wall: Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are the defensive anchors. Mobley is fresh off a first-round series where he averaged nearly 18 points and 10 rebounds. If Detroit wants to win, they have to find a way to penetrate Cleveland’s twin towers.

How to Watch the Series

• Game 1 (Tuesday, May 5 @ 7:00 PM ET): Streaming live on NBC / Peacock.
• Game 2 (Thursday, May 7 @ 7:00 PM ET): Exclusive to Prime Video.
• Game 3 (Saturday, May 9 @ 3:00 PM ET): Streaming live on NBC / Peacock.
• Game 4 (Monday, May 11 @ 8:00 PM ET): Streaming live on NBC / Peacock.

The Bench Depth: If you are a cord-cutter, Peacock will be your primary hub for most of this series.

Where to Stream: NBA App / NBA TV Archive.

Featured Photo: Rocket Arena

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Author Bio

Jael Rucker is the founder of Decked Out Magazine. She has previously worked as the Associate Commerce Editor at PureWow, focusing on analytics and trends to pitch stories and optimize articles that build and engage their audience. Her work has also been seen in Footwear News and WWD. Prior to 2024, she was the style and pop culture editor at ONE37pm for over three years, contributing numerous product reviews, brand profiles and fashion trend reports, which included interviewing Steph Curry, Snoop Dogg and more.