The Detroit Pistons just made history tonight in the largest road playoff comeback since 1997. In the miraculous 24-point turnaround (93-79), star point guard Cade Cunningham led the way with another signature scoring performance.
Along with a smooth 32 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists on 43.5% shooting and 50.0% shooting from three, he was active all night on defense, securing four steals and a block as the Magic scored just 19 points in the second half.
“Never say die,” said Cade after the win. “Simple as that. Detroit grit, it’s what we’ve been talking about all year, and that’s a great job of staying with it and keeping fighting. We dug ourselves a deep hole, and it’s time for us to climb our way out. It’s gonna take everything; it’s gonna take putting your body on the line, and digging deep, and that’s what we’ve been doing. Thank God we get to take this back to the crib. It’s gonna be loud in Detroit, and we have to finish our business now.”
The Pistons were down 3-1 in this series just a few days ago, and all momentum was on Orlando’s side. But then Cunningham put the Pistons on his back, scoring a combined 77 points over the past two games. When asked what played into his heroics tonight, Cade simply credited his body of work over the past five seasons.
“Just trusting my work, staying prayed up, relish it in the moment,” said Cunningham. “Not everybody gets the opportunity to have a challenge like this in life, so I’m just trying to make the most of it. I’m excited for [Game 7], let’s get to it.”
It was a truly miraculous scene at Kia Center tonight, but the job is not yet done for Cade and the Pistons. Thanks to their mistakes earlier in the series, they fell so far behind that they still need to win one more game before they can advance to the Semifinals. Fortunately, it will be played in Detroit, giving the Pistons an advantage in the series-deciding game.
Regardless of the location, however, we know Cade will show up ready to play. After going through historically tough times with the Pistons, he’s not going to give up after a little adversity, and we can expect one of his best games yet. Until then, he’ll be working with teammates and coaches to develop the best game-winning strategy. One thing we know for sure is that Cade has no fear, and he’s built for the big moments.
It remains to be seen how the Magic will respond, but these kinds of losses are tough to recover from. With just eight points in the fourth quarter (compared to 31 for Detroit), it was a complete collapse on all fronts for the home team. Whether it was poor shooting luck or simply guys being scared of the moment, nobody on the Magic really had it going, and none could give an answer when Cade took the game in his own hands.
As long as the Pistons continue to lean on Cade and play their signature tough, physical defense, their odds for victory in Game 7 will be high. They have all the momentum now, and the fans will be there to cheer them on. For now, Cunningham will take some time to celebrate the win, which has given the Pistons a breath of life in the first round.
