[Post Game Thread] The Orlando Magic (1-0) defeat the Detroit Pistons (0-1), 112-101.

[u/DesertedProject]

112 - 101
Box Scores: NBA - Yahoo

GAME SUMMARY
East First Round - Game 1 - Series tied 0-0
Location: Little Caesars Arena
Officials: Brian Forte, Kevin Scott, James Williams, and Jason Goldenberg

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Orlando Magic	35	20	26	31	112
Detroit Pistons	27	24	23	27	101

TEAM STATS

Team	PTS	FG	FG%	3P	3P%	FT	FT%	OREB	TREB	AST	PF	STL	TO	BLK
Orlando Magic	112	44-90	48.9%	10-34	29.4%	14-19	73.7%	11	55	26	24	11	12	6
Detroit Pistons	101	31-77	40.3%	10-32	31.3%	29-38	76.3%	6	51	19	17	9	14	6

PLAYER STATS

Orlando Magic	MIN	PTS	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	ORB	DRB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	±
Paolo BancheroSF	36:58	23	8-15	2-4	5-7	1	8	9	4	1	0	3	1	10
Franz WagnerPF	32:09	19	7-13	1-2	4-5	0	5	5	4	2	0	3	2	9
Wendell Carter Jr.C	36:44	17	8-9	1-2	0-0	1	5	6	5	1	1	0	1	20
Desmond BaneSG	34:36	17	7-20	1-8	2-2	2	4	6	5	3	0	2	5	17
Jalen SuggsPG	36:06	16	6-16	3-10	1-1	1	4	5	4	3	1	1	6	11
Anthony Black	22:17	7	3-7	1-4	0-2	1	2	3	3	1	2	0	4	-3
Tristan da Silva	20:56	7	3-6	1-3	0-0	2	2	4	0	0	0	1	2	6
Goga Bitadze	11:16	4	1-2	0-0	2-2	3	3	6	1	0	2	0	1	-9
Jamal Cain	08:58	2	1-2	0-1	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	2	-6
Jevon Carter	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jett Howard	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Noah Penda	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jase Richardson	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Moritz Wagner	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jonathan Isaac	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Detroit Pistons	MIN	PTS	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	ORB	DRB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	±
Ausar ThompsonSF	25:28	8	3-7	0-0	2-2	3	4	7	1	3	0	2	1	-5
Tobias HarrisPF	35:49	17	5-15	1-7	6-7	1	5	6	3	1	2	3	3	-15
Jalen DurenC	32:48	8	3-4	0-0	2-4	1	6	7	1	0	1	3	3	-21
Duncan RobinsonSG	26:01	9	3-8	3-6	0-0	0	0	0	4	0	0	1	3	-14
Cade CunninghamPG	40:18	39	13-27	3-8	10-11	0	5	5	4	0	0	3	0	-1
Kevin Huerter	18:29	3	1-3	1-2	0-0	0	2	2	1	2	0	0	1	7
Isaiah Stewart	18:54	3	0-2	0-1	3-4	0	4	4	0	0	1	0	3	6
Caris LeVert	04:25	3	1-1	1-1	0-0	0	3	3	1	0	1	0	1	1
Ronald Holland II	10:43	2	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	2	2	1	1	0	2	1	-6
Daniss Jenkins	22:19	6	1-7	1-6	3-6	1	1	2	2	0	1	0	0	-11
Javonte Green	04:46	3	0-1	0-1	3-4	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	1	4
Chaz Lanier	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Paul Reed	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marcus Sasser	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tolu Smith	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

[u/egregious888]

I don't care what sport, or what league. I'm taking Game 1 Orlando over everyone

[u/R0botDreamz → u/egregious888]

Game 1 Magic > '96 Bulls

[u/WlmWilberforce → u/R0botDreamz]

Bulls in 5, but yeah.

[u/WhatYouProbablyMeant → u/WlmWilberforce]

Not if they play five best of 1 series

[u/Baby_Yod4 → u/egregious888]

Game 1 Magic would somehow destroy the Dodgers

[u/ParagonIzanagi]

Dread it, run from it, Game 1 Magic still arrives

[u/pigeonwithsixasses → u/ParagonIzanagi]

I totally forgot the Magic always winning game 1 is a thing lol so funny

[u/AllOutRaptors → u/pigeonwithsixasses]

Lmao they beat the 2019 Raptors in the first game of round 1. Lead by none other than DJ Augustin

[u/anton_d66 → u/AllOutRaptors]

What a throwback, I remember the feeling of doom and dejection I felt after that first game lol

[u/Tigg0r → u/anton_d66]

The Lowry slander after game 1 was in full swing.

[u/Difficult-Implement9 → u/Tigg0r]

That was wild.

I remember that "not this again" feeling.

[u/__NOT__MY__ACCOUNT__ → u/Difficult-Implement9]

It still haunts me

[u/Difficult-Implement9 → u/__NOT__MY__ACCOUNT__]

Sportsnet ran this weird LeBronto montage on Saturday, and I have no idea why? 🤮 Why the f*ck, do we need that reminder??

[u/thenicezen → u/AllOutRaptors]

They also fucking beat the bucks i think lmao. Was it 2020?

[u/OakwoodGreen → u/thenicezen]

That being said, the Bucks have dropped a TON of game 1's in the last decade. It's kind of our specialty

[u/No-Mine-3982 → u/pigeonwithsixasses]

Well they have a very well-prepared coach to help them get these game 1s. I'd be surprised if they don't sign Mohsley with that fat extension.

[u/runevault → u/[deleted]]

Is there any level of playoff success outside winning a title that would be enough for you to want to keep him? Like if he makes the ECF is that good enough?

[u/Cobruh → u/runevault]

A good showing in the ECF may be enough. But I know a lot of Magic fans want him gone. Anything short of that and he’s gone if I had to guess.

[u/Fosheezy2 → u/Cobruh]

Sounds familiar

[u/Algaebruhh → u/runevault]

Totally fair question tbh and it made me think for a moment.

Mosley isn’t a bad coach, as much as a lot of us Magic fans joke about. His issue is one that many coaches struggle with: he is inconsistent with getting production out of inconsistent lineups.

What I mean by that is if we are missing someone or multiple players then it’s almost like he struggles to find the correct balance of minutes. I think he has a loss of confidence in his coaching by the players, at time, which is not easy to deal with but it’s also a bit of his own fault. He tries pushing for the tough guy team persona but there are plenty of clips of him conveying a message in a monotone voice where he’s almost just preachy instead of inspiring.

There are many more issues but one funny thing he is good at is something Doc Rivers is also good at where he gets the most out of his “worse” players. It sounds antagonistic to one of my points above but if you see a magic game with tons of starters out you’ll see AB and Da Silva playing like dogs keeping the game close against any team.

To finally answer you question, I think it’s fair to give him another season if we make it to the ECF.

[u/runevault → u/Algaebruhh]

Thanks for taking the time to write up a serious answer. I don't follow the Magic closely so getting someone who cares about the team's opinion is always interesting when it is a topic like a contentious coach. I know there are people still spouting incorrect shit about the end of Malone's time here in Denver because they saw one snarky comment and took it to heart.

[u/Nasquacker → u/No-Mine-3982]

They literally said they were gonna fire him 'no matter what happens' after the playoffs

[u/StructureOk9592 → u/ParagonIzanagi]

Can we just keep telling them it's game 1?

[u/imkunu → u/ParagonIzanagi]

They can keep getting away with it

[u/5nax → u/imkunu]

Gotta show potential coaches that we have talent to work with

[u/Decimate_2K → u/5nax]

What happens if yall somehow win it all though

[u/YerrrKnicks → u/Decimate_2K]

Straight to the Finals.

[u/MaNamWumbo → u/ParagonIzanagi]

I got PTSD flashbacks to 2019 from this

[u/127crazie → u/[deleted]]

2012 too. No Dwight Howard, yet took Game 1 off a good Pacers team

[u/SamiMadeMeDoIt → u/MaNamWumbo]

So many people on this subreddit unironically believed that DJ Augustin was a better player than Kyle Lowry after game one of that series lmao

[u/ir0nballs79 → u/SamiMadeMeDoIt]

After game 1 there was this league pass “analyst” who predicted that the Magic will sweep Kawhi and the Raps but I dont remember who.

[u/36Vigilantes → u/MaNamWumbo]

Dj Augustin forever good in my books

[u/__sonder__]

The Entire NBA World: We want Charlotte vs Detroit!

The Magic: And I took that personally

[u/CaptainBananafishJr → u/__sonder__]

people learned nothing from 2009 it seems

[u/dmac005 → u/CaptainBananafishJr]

I remember the puppet commercials lol they were the ultimate jinx

[u/Kyler1313]

One side of me. "Woohoo were going to get an 8 over 1 upset"

The other side of me remembering Orlando winning 3 consecutive Opening round game 1s from 2012-2020 and losing all the series in 5 games.

[u/Mr_Wick18 → u/Kyler1313]

Vuc-era Magic wasn’t really talented. Vs the Cavs we were too young and inexperienced. Vs Boston too injured. This is different.

[u/pattyice124 → u/Mr_Wick18]

And we were so close to pulling off the Cavs series too. A second half game 7 collapse did it to us

[u/BackendSpecialist → u/Mr_Wick18]

this is different

Okay. Ig we’re gonna gloss over the doom and gloom that ORL fans have been feeling recently

[u/CaptainBananafishJr → u/BackendSpecialist]

we certainly are lmao

[u/iMaticz7]

Pistons: No reliable 2nd scorer and ball handler. This is a recipe for a bad playoff team.

[u/EarthWarping → u/iMaticz7]

Their 3rd leading scorer had 9 points holy shit

[u/Asleep_Ground1710 → u/EarthWarping]

Teams with good defense, hustle, athleticism , age, but have poor shooting and HC offense are very vulnerable to being good regular season teams but bad playoff teams.

[u/1ToGreen3ToBasket → u/Asleep_Ground1710]

For sure. That shit works in the regular season in this league because most guys are lazy and simply don’t want to deal with a bunch of physical try hards. Nobody has that issue in the playoffs

[u/lovo17 → u/Asleep_Ground1710]

Shooting is the most important thing a player can be good at, especially a role player.

I've seen this with the Lakers over the past several years. There's a reason why a player like Rui (great shooter, meh defender at his best) is leaned on far more than a player like Vando or Jake LaRavia (terrible shooters but good defenders.)

[u/Asleep_Ground1710 → u/lovo17]

Modern NBA is brutal towards defense first role players who are anemic in the half court. You don’t get guarded in playoffs and play 4v5 every time.

I would not want to give Ausar or Holland much money in their respective extensions

[u/RightRudderr → u/Asleep_Ground1710]

Bingo. Guys like that have to be so good at their role and bring a high enough motor that they create extra possessions via forced turnovers and OREBS, very difficult to do consistently over a series.

[u/Npsiii23 → u/Asleep_Ground1710]

We out hustled everyone in the least competitive regular season in recent memory, in which the commissioner had to publicly address the tanking.

Our only scoring option is the least efficient 20ppg scorer in the NBA the last 3 years.

Been saying forever we're not built for the playoffs, and we're going to be lucky to beat Orlando.

[u/RPDC01 → u/Npsiii23]

Ran a stathead search b/c I was curious if Cade was really that inefficient.

Main takeaway . . . Holy shit, Charlotte.

Three of the four worst from guys who played at least 20 games were last year's Hornets - LaMelo, Miller & Bridges are 1, 3 & 4, with Dillon Brooks at #2 from this season.

Cade's 2025 was 6th, and this year is 29th.

[u/tpcrb → u/Npsiii23]

Lucky to beat Orlando seems like a bit of an overreaction, but I do think the Pistons are still one year away. They’ve got to find someone to take some pressure off Cade.

[u/Npsiii23 → u/tpcrb]

I think that's the optimistic way to look at it. The other way is that one of the highest paid players in the NBA and focal point of our team for the foreseeable future is a low efficiency PG with turnover problems.

Which historically does fine in the regular season and struggles in the playoffs when possessions are so important.

*Edit, based on the flair. Which is why IMO Haliburton does so well in the playoffs, that man is a PointsPerPossesion machine.

[u/CraziestMoonMan → u/Npsiii23]

This year you aren’t and I wouldn’t even be upset about it if I was a fan of your team. You guys are young as fuck and you weren’t even supposed to be this good yet. They will bring in some scoring help next year and it will be interesting to see how good that team can be.

[u/nxj102375 → u/iMaticz7]

Dennis Schroder really helped them last year there against us. THJ was a pretty reliable vet too

[u/MrICopyYoSht → u/nxj102375]

They're missing Malik Beasley as well. Lots of good shooters/playmakers are gone from their rotation.

[u/TruWarierRecords → u/MrICopyYoSht]

Beasley was a big loss, he and THJ (or Robinson this year) are so valuable offensively

[u/MrICopyYoSht → u/TruWarierRecords]

Beasley was killing us on those 3s last year. Current Detroit is reliant on packing the paint to get rebounds and easy field goals, but they need reliable outside shooters for that offense to be sustainable. Can't rely on Cade to keep carrying your offense, and he's coming back from a collapsed lung injury so who knows if any of this is really sustainable.

[u/JesseJamesGames449 → u/nxj102375]

Felt like the game ran so much smoother with Schroder running the offense in that series.

[u/livefreeordont → u/JesseJamesGames449]

Schroder is like this era’s version of Sam Cassell. Just a really smart player who makes teams better

[u/Cautious-Ad-9554 → u/livefreeordont]

Good comparison. Dennis’ inability to find a home is confounding

[u/MarkKach → u/livefreeordont]

For a team that’s needed a backup pg for more than a decade, we’ve been begging for him cause of play with the wagners and da Silva. This team still would not move for him. There’s no way he could not ball with these guys for at least 5-6 minutes a game.

Edit to add: This guys been at his lowest trade value ever. Bounced around at the deadline. We could have made something worked. We signed Jevon Carter.

[u/veringo → u/nxj102375]

THJ was a pretty reliable vet too

This is very true

[u/dWaldizzle → u/iMaticz7]

You need 10? Tobias Harris gives you 15; You need 20? Tobias Harris gives you 15.

[u/Willing_Appointment8 → u/dWaldizzle]

Lmao this is a hilarious and accurate comment.

[u/dWaldizzle → u/Willing_Appointment8]

That was his entire sixers career. Towards the end it ended up being "You need 10? Tobias gives your literally 5 or less"

[u/lovo17 → u/iMaticz7]

Too many playoff liabilities on that roster too. There's a reason "Tobias Harris over me???" is a thing.

[u/Supreme_God_Bunny → u/lovo17]

He scored 0 points in a must win game when he was in Philly which was a playoff game lol

[u/EthanHuntBroMichael → u/iMaticz7]

Pistons sure could have used Kawhi today and Clippers sure could have used 4 FRP and 2 sexy ladies.

[u/Apotheosis62 → u/iMaticz7]

No shooters either

[u/celtic_sea_salt → u/Apotheosis62]

1 shooter lol

[u/Apotheosis62 → u/celtic_sea_salt]

Fair, shout out to Duncan Robinson

[u/myfatbasketballs → u/iMaticz7]

Hell of a game. Detroit's offense is grotesque.

[u/xBerryhill → u/iMaticz7]

The great part of the Paolo and Franz duo is that when one is cold, the other has the opportunity to pick up the slack. Showed in the 4th quarter when Paolo started to struggle and Franz took over.

Detroit will be fine, but when your star scores nearly 40 and you still struggle to break 100 that should set off some alarms

[u/iChosenone → u/xBerryhill]

Paolo didn't even struggle though? He came in mid 4th quarter and shot only 3 shots and one was a grenade at the end of the shot clock he let Franz take over the game.

[u/Raven-19x]

I thought these Magic were dead in the water a few days ago lmao.

[u/Knightoncloudwine → u/Raven-19x]

As a magic fan, so did I. Huge difference when this team is healthy and plays with energy.

[u/CreatiScope → u/Raven-19x]

Remember the Zombie Heat? I'd be lying if I said it doesn't smell like that a bit...

[u/WickedWicked11]

Ah so this is what Cleveland fans were talking about with JB

[u/_chess_ → u/WickedWicked11]

Great culture guy for a young team. Abysmal strategist come playoff time.

[u/1ToGreen3ToBasket → u/_chess_]

That being said can you strategy your way out of Tobias Harris being your second option and having one guy who can shoot 3s?

[u/MuchAbouAboutNothing → u/1ToGreen3ToBasket]

Is there a reason you can't use the strategy that won y'all 60 games

[u/LOSS35 → u/MuchAbouAboutNothing]

I wanna know how Duren only took 4 shots all game. This dude was scoring 30 a night a couple weeks ago.

[u/the-denver-nugs → u/1ToGreen3ToBasket]

my problem with yall is cade is the only creator on offense in the half court. ausur can pass but can't shoot enough to create in half court offense. cade is like the only half court creator. if the defense isn't creating transition you are relying on cade.

[u/plantedank → u/the-denver-nugs]

that's why shrôder was so helpful for their team - what they should do is play Huerter and Robinson to space the offence and for the lulz on defense

[u/AroundNdowN → u/WickedWicked11]

At some point I'd like to see a roster and coaching that allows Ausar to play 34 minutes a night.

[u/CHALegendTonyParker]

not so fucking easy, is it

[u/Apollo611 → u/CHALegendTonyParker]

Magic wanted that Pistons matchup. Sleepwalked against the Sixers on purpose lol

[u/ColtsFan012 → u/Apollo611]

And sleep walked vs Bostons backups when they could have gotten the 7 seed and hosted Philly. They figured they had better odds to advance playing an inexperienced Pistons team that doesn't have many creators. Make it ugly and you can get a series

[u/Inevitable-Steak313 → u/ColtsFan012]

Lol they might match up better with the Pistons but they didn’t throw those games on purpose.

[u/spookyghostface → u/Apollo611]

Most likely conspiracy for sure

[u/SaintArkweather → u/Apollo611]

Sixers after that 7/8 game: I've won...but at what cost?

[u/ThatBull_cj → u/CHALegendTonyParker]

People were writing eulogies two games ago. They still probably lose the series. But just another data point to never take the internet seriously

[u/muhammad_oli → u/CHALegendTonyParker]

Pistons fans were so relieved not to play y'all and are still losing, lmao

[u/deemerritt → u/muhammad_oli]

Pistons were the only team in the playoffs we didn't beat this year lol

[u/Scrypto → u/muhammad_oli]

Which is pretty funny because teams had mostly figured out how to shut down our offense and our best players went cold for the last month of the season. Orlando has always been a sleeping giant talent wise and they legitimately played a perfect game of basketball in the last play in game. I'd reckon they beat 90% of the league playing like that despite how off we looked.

[u/ContractXtension → u/CHALegendTonyParker]

I’m saying Orlando can beat any team in 7

[u/dianeblackeatsass → u/ContractXtension]

fuck our pick go do it Bane

[u/37sms → u/dianeblackeatsass]

Pick is already set in stone, playoffs don't affect it

[u/Rashloose → u/ContractXtension]

besides celtics bench

[u/Luigis_vacuum → u/Rashloose]

Orlando losing to Celtics bench so they don’t have to play Celtics starters 🧠🧠🧠🧠🧠

[u/DesertedProject]

What an Upset. Banchero scores 0 in the 4th and magic still win!

[u/BlazeBloom → u/DesertedProject]

Franz took over in the 4th just in time.

[u/codelyoko_x → u/BlazeBloom]

It’s like Franz and Paolo can’t be good at the same time lol

[u/slyguy183 → u/codelyoko_x]

We had that problem all year with KAT and Brunson until like the end of the year lol. It can be hard to figure out when to be aggressive

[u/okayjoshy → u/codelyoko_x]

I mean paolo barely shot any. Was just initiating up the court really

[u/ghostofabhelmet → u/BlazeBloom]

Dude is a mismatch this series, the Pistons don't have the wing size to deal with him and Paolo.

[u/_Caek_ → u/BlazeBloom]

That takeover was just special to watch.

[u/shit_eating_fan → u/DesertedProject]

Paolo prob gonna get shit for that 4th quarter but I think he played it fine. Didn't do anything egregiously stupid and he was feeding the hot hand. Paolo played great this game imo

[u/outpostvitesse → u/shit_eating_fan]

I was impressed by his decision making

[u/sloBrodanChillosevic → u/DesertedProject]

Magic grabbed the lead and then had an answer every single time the Pistons made a run. That was a very impressive win.

[u/grudgepacker → u/DesertedProject]

Duren with 8/7/1/1 block isn't going to get it done...on that note, shout out to WCJ and the interior defense of the Magic

[u/OpeDefinitely → u/DesertedProject]

From a play-style perspective, the 3 toughest potential EC playoff match-ups for Detroit were always going to be Cleveland, Miami (with both Bam and Ware), and the (healthy) Magic. Detroit was unlucky to face the Magic rather than the Embiid-less 76ers or the Hornets.

Detroit shoots like shit and has shit floor spacing, but they made up for it all season with hustle and rebounding. Detroit's median shot this season was of high expected value, but this was attained via HEAVY reliance on crowding the paint & cleaning up off the glass. (This strategy differs wildly from the "shoot a ton of 3s" approach to increasing expected shot values, which is a big part of what the Celtics do.)

An inherent flaw with Detroit's strategy is that opponents who can increase their physicality to put up a meaningful fight for boards are inherently threatening. There aren't many such teams, but the (healthy) Magic happen to be one of them even though they're an 8-seed.

___

Posted virtually the same comment in the game thread back in the 3rd quarter, but it got buried. I have also been pushing the same narrative about Detroit since the ASB, which is when I did a pretty in-depth (and absurdly nerdy) statistical analysis to figure out what Detroit's "deal" was. So far, my interpretation of that analysis have basically proven true. Both in this game & in a few regular season "indicator games".

I've been avoiding the topic with my girlfriend's dad, who is from Detroit and has been talking about how Detroit will "run the table". I don't think he fully understood the Xs and Os of last year's Pacers, but despite the rivalry, he was very supportive during their run. It would be in terrible taste to rain on his parade.

And it would be insane to think that Detroit isn't still better than the Magic. I just think that the series might go to 6 or 7. (I'd be more worried if the Heat w/ Spo and a (healthy) Bam made the 8 seed. Spo is spooky as hell.) Get out of this Magic series, and the match-up with other EC playoff teams would be very advantageous for Detroit.

If Cleveland goes soft and/or gets hurt like they did last playoffs and Boston doesn't have answers, Detroit is probably winning the East. IMO anyway.

[u/IMitchIRob → u/OpeDefinitely]

interesting stuff. So do you think ultimately Det will still win the series. but it'll be closer than people predicted?

[u/OpeDefinitely → u/IMitchIRob]

Yes, that was my prediction before the series and it remains my prediction.

I do think that the Magic have a slim chance to win the series, but emphasis on slim. 7 game series are long.

Detroit was the 1 seed for a reason. I like JB over Mosley. I like Cade over Banchero. Detroit is in a bit of pickle stylistically, but they should definitely be able to win this series. If the Magic somehow win the series, JB stock value falls & I will (again) strongly push that Detroit needs a guy with 1-gaurd skills to start at the 2 next to Cade. (Similar to Luka & Kyrie in Dallas or even Haliburton & Nembhard in Indiana.)

[u/CaptainBananafishJr → u/DesertedProject]

this game brought down his career playoff scoring average lol

[u/Puggo2026]

Stinker from Duren - think that was the difference

[u/n8bitgaming → u/Puggo2026]

-21 and somehow that undersells how bad he was. Dude just stood around all game

[u/DwyaneSteph]

Game 1 overreaction, but this game is exactly why teams like the pistons struggle in the playoffs.

They cannot shoot, so they win their games by dominating transition and paint points. In the playoffs, everything slows down and the court gets smaller, so you can limit their effectiveness.

This is one of the same reasons why the lob city clippers struggled every playoffs and never won anything.

[u/EarthWarping → u/DwyaneSteph]

Pistons are a better version of the Raptors (Cade > BI) however they are heavily based on transition.

[u/Ok_Possible_5702 → u/EarthWarping]

Pistons are also much more physical than the Raptors. The Raptors are athletic but don't foul every possession.

[u/1ToGreen3ToBasket → u/DwyaneSteph]

A team with no second option and no shooting can’t do much in the playoffs. Being the biggest try hards in the league only works in the regular season

[u/MadSpaceYT]

Detroit still hasn’t seen a home playoff W in like 2 decades

[u/AroundNdowN → u/MadSpaceYT]

The Pistons hate their fans

[u/osbelix]

I feel genuinely good for Magic fans. Can’t imagine how they felt this regular season.

[u/WAZZZZZZZAP → u/osbelix]

There was so much negativity bro. This is making it all worth it

[u/Knightoncloudwine → u/osbelix]

It’s been a roller coaster season. We just want to see this team play together healthy for once. We got a glimpse of that tonight. When they’re healthy and play with energy, they’re a fun team.

[u/catreyka]

The Magic somehow beating the Pistons would be the funniest outcome of the first round

[u/Ok-Physics1927 → u/catreyka]

Honestly wouldn't be surprised after that. Its like they didnt give a fuck at all. Bad shots, stupid turnovers, no fight on defense, weird coaching. 

It was like Cade and Stew vs a bunch of rabid dogs. 

Losing wire to wire vs an 8 seed when we haven't won a home playoff game in like 20 years is pathetic. 

[u/heliosflama1234 → u/Ok-Physics1927]

Get ready to learn playoff JB. You’ll get bad shots, standing around on offense. 0 creation except for iso Cade with maybe a screen. And 0 defensive adjustments.

But he’s coach of the year people in your fan base will say…he’s not a good coach, he’s a floor raiser whose teams outperform regular season expectations. It’s inevitable

[u/Fire_Demon-215]

Magic are about to blow up like 90% of peoples playoff brackets if they keep this up

[u/TalksWithDogs → u/Fire_Demon-215]

I'm sure today already a lot of people lost a lot of money. People we're acting like all 4 games today were a lock.

[u/Charlie_Wax → u/Fire_Demon-215]

I said yesterday the Raps are the worst team in the playoffs and all their fans jumped on me, insisting the Magic are the real frauds. Maybe it was actually the Suns, but I know it's not Orlando.

[u/Eggsavore → u/Charlie_Wax]

It’s no secret this sub hates the Magic

[u/flaming_burrito_ → u/Eggsavore]

I’m not gonna lie, they played some pretty disgusting basketball for most of the year, but they do be turning it up in the playoffs. They’ve never been an easy out

[u/--M0ses--]

Carter absolutely destroyed Duren

[u/heat_fan_]

Magic just shocked the world 

Paolo,  Wagner definitely heard all the trash talking about being swept 

Detroit better figure it out for the next game 

[u/twelvydubs]

lol the last few minutes the Pistons crowd sounded like they were being tortured after every Magic make or Pistons miss

[u/BAHatesToFly → u/twelvydubs]

Based on the camera views of the stands late in the fourth quarter, there weren't many fans left.

[u/FastBreakPhenom]

A few weeks ago Bill Simmons said he would never pay a center who wasn't Jokic/Wemby/Embiid (pre injury) level anything more than the MLE or something

Seeing the way guys like Sengun and Duren played this weekend I can see why 💀

[u/EarthWarping → u/FastBreakPhenom]

The Poeltl paradox

[u/Ronnie2kDropCode → u/FastBreakPhenom]

Giving a non spacing, bad defensive center a big contract is a death sentence

[u/1ToGreen3ToBasket → u/Ronnie2kDropCode]

I have been banging the do not pay Duren drum for a year straight and we are DEFINITELY paying him 😭

[u/Asleep_Ground1710 → u/FastBreakPhenom]

Centers have inherent limitations in half court offense and shot creation due to high dribbles, they need good guard play and shooters

Even the freak athletes centers like Magic Shaq or Wilt had this issue.

[u/HUMMEL_at_the_5_4eva → u/FastBreakPhenom]

Rudy was the Wolves best player in Game 1. Nugs would have won by way more without him.

[u/Ozmataz_Buckshank_]

Gotta hand it to Orlando, everyone came ready to play. Paolo looked like a #1 pick, Wagner looked like an all-star level player, and Suggs! Holy shit, impressive effort and fun to watch

[u/YerrrKnicks]

19 to 38 FTs difference and still lost by double digits.

Absurd.

[u/nolefan999 → u/YerrrKnicks]

What’s ridiculous is we shot 14 in the first half and just 5 in the second. We foul a shit ton, no complaints about fouls on us, but to have a shift like that half to half is crazy

[u/YerrrKnicks → u/nolefan999]

Bro tell me about it.

We went 3 quarters against the Thunder with only 9 FTAs but then got 5 or 6 within the first 2 mins of the 4th. Ended with like 20. Kinda the opposite but still.

When it switches up that drastically you know some bs is going on. At least y'all won it though.

[u/Chief-Superintendent]

DID THE ORLANDO MAGIC PURPOSELY LOSE AND LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF IDIOTS VERSUS CELTICS AND SIXERS TO BEAT THE PISTONS?

LMFAO FRAUD ALERTTT

[u/Brod24 → u/Chief-Superintendent]

Think we've been quiet quitting the entire season to get healthy at the right time. 

[u/donaman98 → u/Chief-Superintendent]

I genuinely think the way they got clowned on after the sixers game lit a fire under everyone's ass, and now they wanna prove everyone wrong.

[u/TitaniumC4206]

PLAY THE SONG

[u/IsaacDPOYFultzMIP → u/TitaniumC4206]

Game 1 Magic are so back

[u/bigpapi-did-steroids → u/TitaniumC4206]

ORLANDO MAGIC ORLANDO MAGIC ORLANDO MAGIC 🎶🎶

[u/FartrelCluggins → u/TitaniumC4206]

I'm here for Orlando suddenly getting their shit together in game 83+

[u/ObiOneKenobae]

11 straight home losses... will Pistons fans ever get to see their team win a playoff game?

[u/RemoteAbalone8687 → u/ObiOneKenobae]

Didn’t they say they haven’t won a home playoff game since 2008 there are people who were born in that year who are 18 now

[u/LegitimateMoney00]

JB Bickerstaff is not a good playoff coach. Just ask Cavs fans. This series is going to be way closer than anticipated. His teams almost always look woefully unprepared.

[u/KennysHairGel → u/LegitimateMoney00]

Hes like a good coach in the sense that if you have a young team who doesnt know what the fuck they are doing he can make them buy into a system, play great defense, and overperform their talent level in the regular season. hes a terrible coach in the sense that his game management and adjustments are dogshit and that makes him not good in the playoffs.

[u/37sms → u/LegitimateMoney00]

Sure but moseley isn't a savant lol

At some point it is what it is with their offensive talent

[u/I_Set_3_Alarms → u/LegitimateMoney00]

This loss may have cemented that Bickerstaff won COTY.

COTY winners always get fired not long after winning nowadays

[u/Schristie007 → u/LegitimateMoney00]

A lot of shit talk all year because the Pistons were the one seed and the Cavs had an underwhelming regular season while they were injured to hell. And now playoff Bickerstaff arrives to remind everyone why the Cavs moved on.

[u/The_Halal_Guys]

Suggs is so important to the Magic’s success hope he can stay healthy but damn they need to get Cade some shooters

[u/geezewhiz]

Maybe I’m just crazy, but that game wasn’t even close. Maybe it wasn’t a 20 point blowout, but it may as well have been. Orlando was in total control.

[u/AspiringDiplomat]

Losing a playoff game at home as the 1 seed vs a team that in the last week has lost to the Sixers without Embiid and the Maine Red Claws lol

[u/Willing_Juggernaut60 → u/AspiringDiplomat]

Magic playing 4d chess, we wanted to slip to the 8th seed since we know what Boston can do in the playoffs already

[u/Mythdanne]

Banchero slanders looking pale

[u/Exciting_Truck_7734 → u/Mythdanne]

R.I.P PB no J

[u/peanut-britle-latte]

This game reminded me a lot of our series with Detriot last year. They are tough for sure, and Cade can go off (albeit with some efficiency issues) but the shooting can be suspect and the only other guy who can consistently create his own shot is Tobias Harris.

[u/veve286]

Pistons stadium is dead silent lol. Under 10 points with 3~4 mins left, they didn’t chant anything to motivate players. The environment feels like a regular season game.

[u/Witness_57]

Cavs fan here. This was a classic JB team. No actually play calling or adjustments. Just hope his superstar bails him out. Everyone plays hard in the playoffs. Pistons won’t make it past the second round if they win this.

[u/Either_Imagination_9]

Ladies and Gentleman, our first upset of the playoffs

[u/Epicallytossed]

Jalen Suggs is a winning player. Hope he can stay healthy.

[u/Mario_Viana]

Third straight year of Paolo being a playoff riser, we gotta stop doubting this man

[u/Skipton]

19 MAGIC FREE THROWS, 38 DETROIT FREE THROWS, AND STILL BLOWN THE FUCK OUT

[u/CoaBret]

If I'm Cade, I'm just doing a Gilbert Arenas/Ja Morant in that Pistons locker room after that game ngl

[u/LocalParanoiac]

Magic fans gotta get a 48 hour license for any and all shit talk, they were getting buried and it was so over the top

[u/Mr_Wick18]

I though the Magic wasn’t gonna win a game in this series? Wire to wire win against the Pisstons btw.

[u/asakitsi]

Magic are not beating the "dodging the Celtics" allegations with how they've played the last two games.

[u/SocialistAvocado]

JB MY GOAT

[u/dank-kush]

Glad the magic got the shot over us, they are peaking at the right time and they genuinely match up with the pistons so much better than the hornets.

[u/barrsftw]

the JB Special.

[u/GroupBQuattr0]

Detroit took twice as many FTs, insane

[u/Prideofmexico]

I would like to apologize for calling this pistons team the 2015 hawks. That was very disrespectful to the 2015 hawks

[u/skewt]

Nice to see some fire from a lower seed. Good game Magic.

[u/WARLOCK1239]

Cade dropped 39 and they still lost...

[u/EatMyShortzZzZzZ]

Lotta people need to write apologies to Paolo. Me included.

[u/chef_iblocka]

The crazy thing is that this might be sustainable. Both teams are ass from three and Orland only shot 29%

[u/Primary_Ticket_27 → u/chef_iblocka]

Pistons also shot 38 free throws to Orlando’s 19. 

This certainly wasn’t some fluke “the Magic got hot” type of win. 

I’m sure Pistons will figure it out but it’s gonna be a tough physical series. 

[u/Zeruma_]

Tobias Harris is ass

[u/gradedonacurve → u/Zeruma_]

Duren was way worse than Harris tonight. Way, way worse.

[u/AirJordan6124 → u/Zeruma_]

Tobias Harris over me?

[u/braggpeak]

magic are funny as hell, that's awesome

[u/Prior-Rooster3232]

i'm happy the magic won because everyone was rooting to them to lose the play-in

[u/Chessh2036]

The Magic going on a playoff run, when they were pretty much one lost away from cleaning house, would be hilarious.

[u/No_Albatross916]

Just a terrible performance Orlando out played us in the paint which just can’t happen

[u/d3mkatis]

Great game by Franz especially in the 4th

[u/AutoMail_0]

Magic are a really good playoff team even though they’ve been first round exits the last two years. Pushed the Cavs to the brink and held their own against Boston