The Detroit Pistons stunned the Orlando Magic with a 116-94 victory in Game 7 on Sunday, becoming just the 15th team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 deficit in a playoff series. The win marks the franchise's first postseason series victory since 2008.
Cade Cunningham delivered a masterclass performance with 32 points and 12 assists, while Tobias Harris added 30 points to give Detroit a dominant closing act. The two became the first Pistons teammates to each score 30 points in a playoff game since Bob Lanier and Howard Porter accomplished the feat against Golden State in April 1977.
Detroit's comeback was especially remarkable given that the No. 1 seed in the East had trailed by 24 points in Game 6 at Orlando before rallying to force a decisive seventh game. No No. 1 seed had ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit in a first-round series before this.
The Pistons controlled Game 7 from the opening tip, building a 60-49 halftime lead behind 17 second-quarter points from Harris. Detroit's offensive onslaught intensified after intermission, with an 11-2 opening run in the third quarter that pushed the advantage to 71-51. The Magic never recovered.
Orlando's offensive collapse in the final stretch proved decisive. The Magic managed just 15 points in the third quarter, marking the third time in their final five quarters that they failed to reach 20 points. By the time Daniss Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to extend Detroit's lead to 83-64 heading into the fourth, the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Cunningham averaged 32.4 points throughout the series, establishing himself as Detroit's engine during the comeback. His supporting cast grew stronger as the series progressed. Jalen Duren, the All-Star center who had been outperformed by Orlando's Wendell Carter Jr. in the first six games, finally found his footing with his first double-double of the series, posting 15 points and 15 rebounds.
The Magic leaned almost entirely on Paolo Banchero, who scored 38 points in the losing effort. Without Franz Wagner, who was injured in Game 4, Orlando had no secondary scoring threat. Desmond Bane reached double figures in the first three quarters, but the depth deficit became insurmountable once Detroit found its rhythm.
The Pistons' series victory came just one night after the Philadelphia 76ers completed their own improbable 3-1 comeback against Boston, marking the second consecutive night of a historic playoff reversal in the Eastern Conference.
Author James Rodriguez: "Detroit's comeback mirrors the grit of that franchise at its best, but the real story is how utterly Orlando collapsed once the Magic showed weakness in Game 6."
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