The Detroit Pistons are heading to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2008. After being down 3-1, Detroit crushed the Orlando Magic 116-94 in game seven to complete the series comeback. The Pistons became the 15th team to overcome a 3-1 deficit, and also avoided becoming the seventh one-seed to lose to an eight-seed in the first round. Here is the recap of Sunday afternoon’s action.
It was just another day at the office for Detroit’s All-NBA point guard, Cade Cunningham. The man known as MotorCade dropped 32 points in the deciding game of the series while dishing out 12 assists. Cunningham got it done at all three levels, splashing four three-pointers, getting to the basket at will, and knocking down his share of mid-range pull-ups.
Pressure can either burst pipes or make diamonds. Right now, Cunningham clearly falls in the latter category, as he is shining under the brightest lights.
Tobias Harris continued playing out of his mind with the season on the line. Harris dropped 30 points in game seven, marking his highest playoff total in a Pistons uniform. Like Cunningham, Harris found his range on Sunday night, nailing five baskets from beyond the arc. The 15-year veteran finally found his range after shooting just 19 percent from downtown in the first six games.
Harris has stepped up his play in the postseason in tremendous fashion. After averaging 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in the regular season, Harris posted 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in the first round of the playoffs. That is exactly what the Pistons need from Harris right now, which he mentioned during his postgame interview.
I just knew for us to win, this team needs me to be assertive and aggressive.
If he can continue putting up numbers anywhere near these marks, Detroit can be a serious problem.
Welcome to the party, Jalen Duren! After essentially being taken out of this series, Duren looked like himself in game seven with a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double. Duren was active right from the jump in this contest, scoring Detroit’s first bucket off an offensive rebound. The Pistons were also finally able to get the pick-and-roll game going with their first-time All-Star, leading to three alley-oop finishes.
Daniss Jenkins, who was a key contributor down the stretch of the regular season, resurged with a 16-point performance, including four three-pointers. It was a rough series for Jenkins, shooting 10-38 in the first six games, but he showed up in a major way in this win-or-go-home game.
If the Pistons want to make a significant run in these playoffs, they must find a way to stay afloat in the non-Cunningham minutes. Jenkins is the key to achieving that goal as the backup PG.
Paolo Banchero did everything in his power to win this game, dropping 38 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. The problem, however, was that no one else really got it going offensively. Banchero literally had half of Orlando’s points after the third quarter, with 32 of the team’s 64. Desmond Bane and Wendell Carter Jr. got it going a bit in the fourth, but the game was already out of reach.
That is what it comes down to sometimes, shutting down the others. Stars usually find a way to get theirs, but they can only do so much individually. The Pistons made sure the rest of the Magic were non-factors and are heading to the conference semifinals as a result.
It was a long 18-year wait, but the Pistons are finally heading to the second round again. The action begins on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who also needed seven games to defeat the Toronto Raptors. These central division rivals are no strangers, of course, and it should be a heated battle. The two teams split the regular season series 2-2, so it would not be surprising if all seven games are needed again.
Duren and Jenkins will need more performances like the ones from Sunday night against the Cavs and their firepower. Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Evan Mobley are all capable of taking over offensively, so Detroit will need someone to match those buckets. Cunningham and, apparently, now Harris, will surely get theirs, but there has to be consistency from others. Hopefully, these were not just flukes from Duren and Jenkins, and they do their parts to get the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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