The 1-seed Detroit Pistons were officially eliminated from the NBA Playoffs on Sunday night after a blowout 125-94 defeat to the 4-seed Cleveland Cavaliers. The loss means that VFLs Tobias Harris and Chaz Lanier are heading home, leaving no remaining Volunteers standing in the NBA Playoffs.
Harris is the on-court contributor of the two former Vols on the Pistons, but he was a no-show on Sunday night. Harris had averaged 19.1 PPG in the 13 playoff games leading into Game 7 against the Cavs, but tallied just five points in 23 minutes on Sunday. His points only came from the free-throw line, going 0-of-6 from the floor and 0-of-2 from three-point range. His -23 plus/minus was the second worst on the team behind Cade Cunningham’s -32.
It’s a tough showing after a pretty nice playoff run for the former Vol. While his numbers had dipped in the last few games, Harris was playing a substantial bit above his regular-season average in the postseason.
Harris signed a two-year deal with the Pistons before the 2024-2025 season, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He’s been a productive veteran presence for Detroit’s rise the last two seasons, but it’s unclear whether the Pistons will find a way to bring him back or move in a different direction moving forward. His original deal was for two years and $52 million.
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The loss on Sunday also brings Chaz Lanier’s rookie season in the association to a close. Lanier was a second-round draft pick during the 2025 NBA Draft and spent time with the Pistons and Detroit’s G-League team during his first year in the league.
With the game out of hand in the fourth quarter, Lanier got five minutes of run during Game 7 on Sunday night. He did not record any points, going 0-of-2 from the floor including one miss from three-point range. On the season as a whole, Lanier averaged 2.4 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game in 34 appearances. He played a total of seven minutes in three playoff games this postseason.
Harris and Lanier are two of five former Tennessee players who have all been eliminated from the NBA Playoffs heading into the conference finals round. That also includes Grant Williams with the Charlotte Hornets, Dalton Knecht with the L.A. Lakers, and Julian Phillips with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The WCF will feature the Spurs and the Thunder, while the ECF will see the Knicks and Cavaliers face off.
