When it seemed the Detroit Pistons’ historic season was slipping away against the Orlando Magic, J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad dug deep, showing grit, heart, and determination to erase a 3-1 deficit and keep their playoff dreams alive. In Game 1 of the conference semifinals, they relied on the same formula that fueled their recent comeback, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101. Both teams entered the matchup physically battered after grueling first-round series.
Cade Cunningham didn’t dazzle with flashy stats—23 points, seven assists, and 6-of-19 shooting—but he stepped up as a true leader when his team needed him most, delivering clutch plays that made the difference. The same couldn’t be said for Donovan Mitchell (23 points) or James Harden (22 points), both far from their best, a level their team must rediscover to advance. Tobias Harris chipped in 20 points, Duncan Robinson added 19 on 5-of-8 from deep, and Jalen Duren posted 11 points and 12 rebounds, all key contributors to the win.
The two teams had fought tooth and nail in the first round, each shouldering the weight of 14 playoff games already—more than expected before the postseason began. But the Pistons had every reason to appreciate their current position after rallying from a 3-1 hole against a Magic squad that later fired coach Jamahl Mosley following the incident. The Cavaliers, unable to win on the road against the Raptors (0-3), now faced one of the toughest arenas in the league. Though the Eastern Conference spotlight shines on the Knicks as favorites to emerge, it’s the Pistons who dominated the regular season in this part of the map, notching 60 wins—a stunning turnaround from just 14 two seasons ago. J.B. Bickerstaff’s coaching job has been nothing short of monumental.
Cunningham, a silent assassin by nature, a born leader and one of the league’s top perimeter players, scored 227 points against Orlando—the most of any player in the first round. He came out hot, and his teammates followed suit: the Pistons pushed the pace, crashed the boards, and sprinted in transition, building an early lead. Cunningham knocked down his eighth point and a triple to make it 28-14 after nine minutes, doubling up the visitors. Just when the Cavaliers looked close to bleeding out, Max Strus (19 points) nailed a triple that seemed to act as a temporary bandage. But Javonte Green had other ideas. He buried a deep three from nine meters, extending the lead to 37-21. The Motor City was roaring.
On the other side, Donovan Mitchell—the second-leading scorer in playoff opening games in NBA history (33.1 per game), trailing only Michael Jordan—rode a limping horse, but still hit his shots. With 14 minutes played, he had scored 14 of his team’s 28 points, a staggering 50% clip. He was a one-man show, without support. At that pace—a point per minute—he was on track for 48. But that’s exactly why the phrase “on track” is used: because there’s a long, obstacle-filled road ahead. And for his team, the road was not just ahead but weighing them down.
The game turned into a gritty battle, filled with hard fouls, loose-ball scrambles, and rebounds that could land in anyone’s hands. The fight continued, with the score sitting at 46-59 at halftime, and the dynamics barely shifting. The game was stuck in a comfortable limbo for the home team, as Kenny Atkinson’s Cavaliers, playing like scavengers, struggled to close the gap.
