The Detroit Pistons had a historic comeback victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night, overcoming a 24-point deficit. It was a 93-79 win for the Pistons after the game looked all but over when they were down 60-38 at halftime. That was not the case, however, and there will now be a game seven to decide the series.
After scoring only eight points in the first half, Cade Cunningham went off in the final 24 minutes! Cunningham nearly had a second-half triple-double with a stat line of 24/9/8. The MVP candidate was also a problem on the defensive side of the ball, with four steals and a block. The Pistons’ backs were against the wall, and Cunningham did what a superstar is supposed to do: put the squad on his back.
Tobias Harris, in year 15, has been Detroit’s second-best player in this series. That continued in game six, as Harris dropped 22 points along with 10 rebounds. It was his fourth straight game with at least 20 points, after averaging just 13 in the regular season. Harris has been the unexpected hero for the Pistons, as he has been the only consistent scorer outside of Cunningham. Apparently, age is just a number, as the man who has now reached “Unc status” continues to hold his own with the young fellas.
The 24 points that Cunningham dropped in the second half were five more than the entire Orlando team combined! The Magic set the record for the fewest points in any half of an NBA playoff game with 19. Orlando could not buy a bucket, missing 23 consecutive field goal attempts at one point, on their way to a 4-37 finish. The usually reliable Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane shot a combined 2-20 in the second half, as Detroit’s adjustments were too much to handle. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke about that during his postgame press conference.
We changed the amount of pressure that we were putting at the point of attack. We changed how active we were on the ball, how physical we were on the ball. That’s when we’re at our best.
Historically, that is what Pistons basketball is all about. The Detroit brand has always been about physicality, toughness, and defense. That was achieved at the highest level on Friday night in Orlando, and now the Pistons are one win away from overcoming the once 3-1 deficit in this best-of-seven series.
The series now comes down to game seven, which takes place Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Pistons will look to become the 14th team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in NBA playoff history. The list, ironically, includes the Pistons, who were the first seed, storming back against the eighth seed Magic in 2003. It was the series in which Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady reportedly commented, “It feels good to get into the second round,” before Orlando collapsed. McGrady, however, recently pushed back against that claim.
If the Pistons complete the comeback, they will face either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Toronto Raptors, who are heading to game seven after a wild game six finish. A game seven in that series is potentially good news for Detroit, as it means their potential second-round opponent will not have any extra recovery time. In either case, it would hopefully be a spot where Jalen Duren can get back on track. Duren averaged 25 and 10 in two regular-season outings versus Toronto. In the three matchups against Cleveland, he put up 22 and 13.
It should be an exciting conclusion to the first round of the NBA playoffs, as it features three series with a game seven, which are the two most famous words in sports. The Pistons have taken all the momentum from the Magic in their series and will look to complete the comeback in front of their home crowd.
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