Pistons rally from 3-1 to advance

The Pistons are finally out of the first round. That sounds basic, but in Detroit it’s huge — this franchise had not won a playoff series since 2008, and for a minute it looked like this season might end in a brutal upset. Orlando had Detroit down 3-1. Then the Pistons won three straight, including a wild Game 6 comeback and a 116-94 Game 7 finish at Little Caesars Arena on May 3. (espn.com) ### How bad did it get? Pretty bad. Detroit was the East’s No. 1 seed after a 60-22 regular season, but Orlando pushed the series to the edge and had the Pistons one loss from going home. In Game 6, the Magic led by 24 points and looked ready to pull off the upset. Instead, Detroit stormed back to win 93-79 and force a seventh game. (espn.com) ### What flipped in Game 6? Cade Cunningham happened, first of all. He scored 32 in that elimination game, and Orlando’s offense completely froze late. The Magic had Detroit buried early, but once the Pistons tightened the game, Orlando stopped generating clean shots and the whole thing unraveled. That comeback changed the emotiona(espn.com)wer seed, not the favorite. (espn.com) ### What happened in Game 7? Detroit took control and never really let the drama linger. Cunningham finished with 32 points and 12 assists. Tobias Harris added 30. Daniss Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating 3 at the end of the third quarter that pushed the lead to 83-64, and from there Orlando never made a real run. A Game 7 can turn into(espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) ### Why does Cunningham matter so much here? Because this is what a franchise star is supposed to look like in the playoffs. He didn’t just have one hot night. He averaged 32.4 points in the series, and Detroit needed almost every bit of that shot creation once Orlando loaded up the paint and tried to make the Pistons uncomfortabl(espn.com)r who keeps the season alive long enough for everything else to settle down. For Detroit, that was Cunningham. (espn.com) ### Was this just about one player? Not really. Harris’ 30 in Game 7 mattered a lot, and Detroit’s defense deserves a ton of the credit. The Pistons held Orlando to 79 points in Game 6, then to 94 in Game 7. That’s the part that makes the comeback feel sturdier than a random hot streak. Detroit didn’t just outgun Orlando — it dragged the series back onto its own terms. (espn.com) ### How rare is a comeback like this? Rare enough that it changes how people talk about a team. Falling behind 3-1 as a No. 1 seed against a No. 8 seed usually means something has gone badly wrong. Coming all the way back means Detroit avoided the kind of collapse that sticks to a core for years. Instead of spending the offseason (espn.com)inst Cleveland. (nbcsports.com) ### So what’s the real takeaway? Detroit’s season was already a breakthrough. But this series changed the tone of it. The Pistons didn’t just get through — they took a near-disaster, steadied themselves, and found a version of their game that held up under playoff pressure. That doesn’t guarantee anything against the Cavaliers. But it does mean this run now feels real. (nba.com)