Pistons reach Round 2 after 3-1 comeback

The Pistons are in the second round because they did the hard version of this — they fell behind 3-1, then ripped off three straight wins and buried Orlando 116-94 in Game 7 on May 3. That alone is a big deal. Detroit had not won a playoff series in 18 years, and now the team with the best record in the East is suddenly carrying real postseason credibility, not just regular-season hype. The next step is Cleveland, which got through Toronto in seven, but looked shakier doing it. ### What exactly changed? Detroit stopped looking like a young team learning on the fly and started looking like a contender with answers. After going down 3-1 to Orlando, the Pistons closed the series with three straight wins, then turned Game 7 into a blowout. The clincher was not some weird fluke finish — it was a 22-point win. That matters because it says Detroit did not just survive pressure. Detroit solved it. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Who drove the comeback? Cade Cunningham was the center of it. He had 32 points and 12 assists in Game 7, and he averaged 32.4 points across the series. Tobias Harris added 30 in the clincher, which is the part that makes Detroit more interesting — this was not one guy dragging everyone else across the line. Cunningham bent the defense, and Detroit got real scoring behind him. (espn.com) ### Why does the 60-win part matter? Because this is not an underdog story in the usual sense. Detroit finished 60-22 and took the No. 1 seed in the East. Cleveland won 52 games and entered the bracket as the No. 4 seed. So even though the Cavs have the bigger recent playoff track record, the structure of the matchup favors Detroit — home court, (espn.com)was elite before the comeback ever happened. (espn.com) ### What shape is Cleveland in? Cleveland advanced, but it had to work for it. Toronto pushed the Cavs to the edge, including an overtime Game 6 loss that forced a decider. In Game 7, Cleveland finally steadied itself and won 114-102 behind Jarrett Allen’s 22 points and 19 rebounds, with Donovan Mitchell adding 22. That is solid, but the catch is the Cavs had(espn.com)series exposed some instability. (nba.com) ### Why does that change the matchup? Because the old script would have cast Detroit as the inexperienced team and Cleveland as the proven one. But turns out the pressure has shifted. Detroit already answered the biggest question hanging over it — can this group handle playoff adversity? Cleveland is the team that now has to prove its first-round m(nba.com)rent kind of second round than people expected a week ago. (espn.com) ### Has Round 2 already started? Yes — and Detroit struck first. The Pistons beat the Cavaliers 111-101 in Game 1, and Game 2 is set for Thursday, May 7, in Detroit. So this is no longer just a theoretical “watch out for the Pistons” argument. Detroit already took home court and turned it into a series lead. (espn.com) ### What should you watch now? Start with Cunningham, obviously, but the bigger thing is whether Detroit’s depth keeps showing up. Orlando could not contain the extra scoring in Game 7. Cleveland will try to make the series more physical and more half-court heavy, but if the Pistons keep getting secondary offense and keep dicta(espn.com)e destiny. (espn.com) ### Bottom line? Detroit’s comeback changed the tone of its season. The Pistons are not just a nice regular-season story anymore — they are a 60-win No. 1 seed that stared down elimination, won three straight, and immediately put Cleveland on the back foot. (espn.com)