The Detroit Pistons did something special last night, folks. Something that makes you remember why we love this game.
After falling behind 3-1 to the Orlando Magic in the first round, the Pistons rattled off three straight wins to take the series, capping it with a dominant 116-94 Game 7 victory at Little Caesars Arena. It's the franchise's first playoff series win since 2008 - eighteen years of playoff drought, and they picked one hell of a way to end it.
Let's talk about Cade Cunningham for a minute. The young star averaged 36.3 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds over the final three games of this series, shooting an absurd 68.3% true shooting. In Game 7, he dropped 32 points with 12 assists, completely controlling the tempo. This is what star players do - when their team needs them most, they deliver.
"We never stopped believing," Cunningham said after the game, according to ESPN. "Down 3-1, everybody counted us out. But we know what we're capable of."
Tobias Harris was magnificent too - 30 points on 11-18 shooting, including 5-7 from three. Jalen Duren dominated the paint with 15 points and 15 rebounds. This was a complete team performance when it mattered most.
For Orlando, this is a crushing blow. They had this series wrapped up at 3-1, and somehow let it slip through their fingers. Paolo Banchero did everything he could - 38 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists on 14-25 shooting in Game 7 - but got almost no help. Jalen Suggs went 2-9 for just 6 points. Desmond Bane had 16, but the rest of the supporting cast disappeared.
Here's the kicker: this is the in franchise history the Magic have blown a 3-1 lead to the 1-seed Pistons in the first round. The first time? 2003. History doesn't just repeat - sometimes it haunts you.

