The Detroit Pistons staged a historic 24-point comeback in Orlando on Friday to beat the Magic 79-93, tie the series 3-3 and force a Game 7 this coming Sunday.
The Pistons stormed out of the locker room with a 19-55 run in the second half, holding the Magic to a devastating 1-of-28 on their final shots from the field. It was a rout in Orlando. Detroit, number one in the East, thus saved its second do-or-die game after being down 3-1 in the series.
Against the ropes and against history
Cade Cunningham said after winning Game 5 that the Pistons compete at their best with their “backs against the wall.”
This Friday they needed to be eliminated, 24 points down in the third quarter, to finally react.
Of the 300 teams that have been down 3-1 in NBA history, only 36 (12%) have managed to force a Game 7.
And only 13 (4 %) have ended up coming from behind.
The Pistons held on in the first quarter, but the Magic opened the second with a 24-4 run that knocked out Detroit.
Cunningham, Jalen Duren and company could not find answers and went to the locker room 60-38, down 22.
It was just at the turn that the Magic achieved the maximum difference of +24.
This was a real turning point in the game played at the KIA Center in Orlando, which in just a few minutes went from a party to a funeral (Filed under: Pistons make historic comeback).
Orlando collapses
From being qualified against all odds for the East semifinals, to having to play a seventh game in Detroit, very emotionally affected.
The Pistons’ third quarter was very good: an 11-24 run allowed them to cut the deficit to nine points.
But the last one was superb, leaving the Magic at 1 of 20 from the field (5 %).
The Pistons’ step forward in defensive intensity and speed on offense after halftime completely changed the game.
When the Pistons tied it at 72-72, the Magic were trailing 1-18, which made it 1-26.
In a sequence of 23 consecutive missed shots from the field by Orlando (Filed under: Pistons sign historic comeback).
Cunningham leads feat, ignites Pistons’ dreams
Cade Cunningham, the true hero of the comeback with 19 points in the fourth quarter, finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds.
Tobias Harris contributed another 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Duncan Robinson added 14 points to the cause.
“Never give up. Detroit is that toughness we’ve been talking about all year.”
“We’ve done a great job hanging in there, we kept fighting, never giving up.”
Cunningham said at the end of the match in a court-side statement.
It was a collapse in Orlando
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“We dug ourselves into a deep hole, and now it’s time to try to get out of it.”
“It’s going to require everything: putting your body into it, leaving it all on the track and competing at the limit, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” he added.
For the Magic, Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane each scored 17 points.
Along with Tristan da Silva, with 10 points, they were the only Orlando players in double figures.
With information from EFE
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