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DETROIT — Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert saw it coming.
Gilbert grabbed dinner with Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson the night before Cleveland faced the Detroit Pistons in a win-or-go-home Game 7 that carried some immense potential implications for the franchise's future.
It was there, over a meal, that Gilbert relayed to Atkinson who would be the key — the spark plug who might ignite yet another Game 7 victory during this Cavs playoff run.
"He came over to our hotel and he goes, 'You know who the key to this whole thing is?'" Atkinson said. "I was thinking [James] Harden, [Donovan] Mitchell. He goes, 'The key to the whole thing, the spark, is Jarrett Allen.'"
Gilbert was right, with one amendment: It was "Game 7 Jarrett Allen."
That moniker might be sticking. The Cavs joked about it after beating the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of their first-round series in which Allen completely dominated the third quarter to send Cleveland to the second round.
In Game 7 against the Pistons on May 17, with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line, "Game 7 Jarrett Allen" showed up again, helping the Cavs demolish the top-seeded Pistons 125-94 and proving Gilbert to be a bit prophetic along the way.
Atkinson said after that dinner with Gilbert he went to his room and drew up the first play for Allen in an effort to get him going early. The play didn't work as planned, but the strategy did.
"Sometimes you have to be reminded," Atkinson said. "And that was great by Dan. He hit it on the head. He was prophetic."
Allen was nothing short of dominant in Game 7 against the Pistons. He scored a career playoff-high 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and added a block and a steal for good measure. The Pistons never had an answer for him.
Allen has now played in two Game 7s in his career, both in the 2026 playoffs. They're arguably the two best games of his entire career, and they assuredly are considering the high stakes and circumstances.
Earlier this season, Mitchell joked about "Black History Month Jarrett Allen" after the center went on a tear in February. "Game 7 Jarrett Allen" is now definitely sticking in the Cavs locker room.
"I joked with him, I was like, 'Man, this is who you are now. It's Black History Month JA and Game 7 JA,'" Mitchell said postgame. "But, on a serious note, this is just who he is. He's been phenomenal for us ever since I got here, even before I got here. He's been phenomenal in Brooklyn.
"I'm glad people are starting to see who he really is, and who he is not just to us as a team but who he is in the NBA."
The Cavs had talked extensively about "force" being a major element in this series. It's a battle they lost at home in Game 6, which threatened their playoff lives in Game 7. But "Game 7 JA" wouldn't let that happen again.
On one sequence, he beat the Pistons to his spot on a free throw and drew a foul, which in turn sent him to the line. When he missed his second free throw, he again won the battle to the spot and grabbed the rebound, drawing yet another foul. Later came multiple dunks, and Allen often did whatever he wanted against a team that had largely bullied the Cavs in the paint all series.
Allen drew criticism several years ago for a comment he made regarding the lights being bright in the playoffs. It's certainly come up again considering they were made about the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden, their opponent and location for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals May 19.
In these playoffs, at least, Allen has come through for Cleveland the most in the series' biggest moments — twice. Without Game 7 JA, the Cavs are almost assuredly not advancing to the conference finals without LeBron James for the first time since 1992.
"The narratives are going to be the narratives," Mitchell said of Allen. "There's always going to be something, and I think for him just to continue to be himself the entire time, he didn't come out and say, "Man, I got to find a way to get this off my back.' No, it was like, 'I'm just going to be the same JA.'"
"Game 6 Klay" is also a term thrown around the league, given to Klay Thompson for his propensity to come through in Game 6s. Mitchell was asked: Game 6 Klay or Game 7 JA?
"I mean, Game 7 JA," Mitchell said. "Come on — he's two-for-two."
Ryan Lewis covers the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers get lift from Game 7 Jarrett Allen to down Pistons
Continue reading...
Gilbert grabbed dinner with Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson the night before Cleveland faced the Detroit Pistons in a win-or-go-home Game 7 that carried some immense potential implications for the franchise's future.
It was there, over a meal, that Gilbert relayed to Atkinson who would be the key — the spark plug who might ignite yet another Game 7 victory during this Cavs playoff run.
"He came over to our hotel and he goes, 'You know who the key to this whole thing is?'" Atkinson said. "I was thinking [James] Harden, [Donovan] Mitchell. He goes, 'The key to the whole thing, the spark, is Jarrett Allen.'"
Gilbert was right, with one amendment: It was "Game 7 Jarrett Allen."
That moniker might be sticking. The Cavs joked about it after beating the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of their first-round series in which Allen completely dominated the third quarter to send Cleveland to the second round.
In Game 7 against the Pistons on May 17, with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line, "Game 7 Jarrett Allen" showed up again, helping the Cavs demolish the top-seeded Pistons 125-94 and proving Gilbert to be a bit prophetic along the way.
Atkinson said after that dinner with Gilbert he went to his room and drew up the first play for Allen in an effort to get him going early. The play didn't work as planned, but the strategy did.
"Sometimes you have to be reminded," Atkinson said. "And that was great by Dan. He hit it on the head. He was prophetic."
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Jarrett Allen playoff stats
Allen was nothing short of dominant in Game 7 against the Pistons. He scored a career playoff-high 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and added a block and a steal for good measure. The Pistons never had an answer for him.
Allen has now played in two Game 7s in his career, both in the 2026 playoffs. They're arguably the two best games of his entire career, and they assuredly are considering the high stakes and circumstances.
Earlier this season, Mitchell joked about "Black History Month Jarrett Allen" after the center went on a tear in February. "Game 7 Jarrett Allen" is now definitely sticking in the Cavs locker room.
"I joked with him, I was like, 'Man, this is who you are now. It's Black History Month JA and Game 7 JA,'" Mitchell said postgame. "But, on a serious note, this is just who he is. He's been phenomenal for us ever since I got here, even before I got here. He's been phenomenal in Brooklyn.
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"I'm glad people are starting to see who he really is, and who he is not just to us as a team but who he is in the NBA."
The Cavs had talked extensively about "force" being a major element in this series. It's a battle they lost at home in Game 6, which threatened their playoff lives in Game 7. But "Game 7 JA" wouldn't let that happen again.
On one sequence, he beat the Pistons to his spot on a free throw and drew a foul, which in turn sent him to the line. When he missed his second free throw, he again won the battle to the spot and grabbed the rebound, drawing yet another foul. Later came multiple dunks, and Allen often did whatever he wanted against a team that had largely bullied the Cavs in the paint all series.
Allen drew criticism several years ago for a comment he made regarding the lights being bright in the playoffs. It's certainly come up again considering they were made about the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden, their opponent and location for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals May 19.
You must be registered for see images attach
In these playoffs, at least, Allen has come through for Cleveland the most in the series' biggest moments — twice. Without Game 7 JA, the Cavs are almost assuredly not advancing to the conference finals without LeBron James for the first time since 1992.
"The narratives are going to be the narratives," Mitchell said of Allen. "There's always going to be something, and I think for him just to continue to be himself the entire time, he didn't come out and say, "Man, I got to find a way to get this off my back.' No, it was like, 'I'm just going to be the same JA.'"
"Game 6 Klay" is also a term thrown around the league, given to Klay Thompson for his propensity to come through in Game 6s. Mitchell was asked: Game 6 Klay or Game 7 JA?
"I mean, Game 7 JA," Mitchell said. "Come on — he's two-for-two."
Ryan Lewis covers the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers get lift from Game 7 Jarrett Allen to down Pistons
Continue reading...
