Dave Litman
In a stunning development, the 8th-seeded Orlando Magic held on in a crazy finish to take a 2-1 series lead against the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons. The Magic got a masterful performance from Paolo Banchero, with a near triple-double. The Pistons—who were never really challenged in the Eastern Conference all year long—are now firmly on their heels.
Banchero finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. The 23-year-old becomes the youngest player in NBA playoff history to record that set of numbers. He topped off his eye-popping effort with one of the craziest shots you’ll see in these playoffs.
Banchero was all class right after the game, however, not willing to chirp the Pistons, acknowledging respect for the top seed.
“We have a lot of respect for those guys over there, but we also know our own capabilities, what we have in our locker room. We’re not afraid of them.”
Not to be outdone, Desmond Bane also dropped 25 in this game, while hitting seven three-pointers.
The Pistons’ stars ran out of gas as the Magic take 2-1 series lead
Truth be told, however, the Pistons didn’t really deserve to be in this game. Save for a 20-8 fourth-quarter run to put a scare into the Magic, they had an awful game. And the team that led the East nearly wire-to-wire needs to quickly figure things out.
The Pistons do not want to put their names among the ranks of the biggest NBA playoff upset victims of all-time. The iconic Dikembe Mutombo-led Denver Nuggets were the first No. 8 seed to upend a No. 1 when they shocked the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in 1994. Only six times in NBA history has an 8th seed defeated a top seed in the first round.
Cade Cunningham, Detroit’s MVP, turned the ball over nine times, largely due to Orlando’s full-court pressure and double-teams. Jalen Duran had another atrocious game—he’s averaging just 9.0 points and 8.2 rebounds in the series. That’s down from his regular-season 19.5 ppg and 10.5 boards.
Detroit’s stars need to play like it—just as Banchero and Bane did for Orlando today—or the Pistons might run out of gas far sooner than expected.
