After a remarkable 60-win season, the Detroit Pistons ended the campaign as the top-seeded team in the East, securing their place in the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Although they are widely viewed as the favorites to make it out of the East, Sunday night’s matchup against the Orlando Magic at home may raise some doubts.
Despite being heavily favored going into the game, the Pistons suffered a 112-101 loss to the eighth-seeded Magic in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. While acknowledging the defeat, Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff addressed the key issues during his postgame press conference.
“Typical for us. I feel like we were chasing them all night,” Bickerstaff began. “I feel like we made some runs to get ourselves back in the ballgame. Defensively, I didn’t think we were at our best. Critical errors, mistakes that they made us pay for. Getting back and used to playing at NBA speed, I think, got us a little bit tonight.”
The Magic came out swinging in the first quarter, effectively catching the Pistons off guard. With a 35-27 swing in the first frame, the Pistons were forced to play catch-up early on. Bickerstaff addressed this and stated:
“There were times in the game where we got stagnant. I feel like that happened to us because we got down early. Then it felt like there was so much weight and so much pressure on each possession that it got to a point where we were just trying to do it all and hit a home run every time.”
“I thought there were moments where we found what we needed to do, and we should replicate that more often,” Bickerstaff concluded.
As Bickerstaff mentioned, the Pistons found themselves in a rut early in the game. Although Detroit tried to chip away at the deficit, the pressure and the situation overwhelmed the team.
The aftereffects of the first quarter reverberated throughout the lineup, as only two players notched double-digit scoring on Sunday night. Cade Cunningham led the team with an impressive 39 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Meanwhile, Tobias Harris contributed with 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Pistons big man Jalen Duren was among the many underwhelming players for Detroit in Game 1. While he is typically known for being a dominant presence on the inside, the center only posted eight points, seven rebounds, and a team-low +/- of -21 for the game.
As a unit, the Pistons shot 31-77 from the field and 10-32 from beyond the arc. Given that they also went 29-38 from the free-throw line, it is evident that Detroit was caught up in a fairly negative cycle.
For many reasons, this could raise concerns about the Pistons’ performances moving forward. However, their position as the top team in the East deserves acknowledgment. Given that the team has overcome several obstacles over the regular season, Detroit must dig deeper and find a way to level things up before the series heads to Orlando.
