The Orlando Magic pulled off the first upset of the NBA Playoffs, cruising past the first-seeded Detroit Pistons in game one, 112-101. Orlando had a disappointing first play-in game against a Joel Embiid-less Sixers squad, but since then have looked like a team that could maybe do some real damage in the playoffs.
Detroit should be concerned with their game one performance, as they looked nothing like a team that won 60 games in the regular season. Cade Cunningham put on his Superman cape, but he will need a lot more help from his teammates and coaches.
This performance seemed wildly reminiscent of previous teams led by JB Bickerstaff. Cade Cunningham put up a gaudy box score, but his All-Star big man playing alongside him was an absolute no-show.
Once again, when the game slows down and teams are forced into more half-court sets, Bickerstaff proves he doesn’t belong. JB was frustrated after being fired by the Cavs, and I understand why, but it was absolutely the right move for Cleveland.
Bickerstaff can get the most out of a bad team, but I think he struggles to do so with a good one in the playoffs. He can’t go out and make guys hit their jumpers, but he can generate more than 4 shots for Jalen Duren. It’s exactly what would happen with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in Cleveland. Those teams found their success by playing through their bigs, but are then completely run out of the offense by Cunningham, or, in Cleveland’s position, Donovan Mitchell in the postseason.
Someone else needs to be able to create their own offense for Detroit. Tobias Harris, Ausar Thompson, Kevin Huerter, and Daniss Jenkins were a combined 10-32 from the field and shot Detroit out of this game. Could Bickerstaff potentially lean on the up-and-down Caris LeVert later on in this series just to find someone who can provide some individual shot-making?
The poor performance from Detroit shouldn’t take away from what Orlando did in this one. Paolo Banchero has been dealt a significant amount of criticism this season from his inefficient offensive production, but once again, he’s shown up in the playoffs. Banchero settled for too many deep twos in the regular season, but used his elite frame to attack undersized Pistons wings all night long.
What’s honestly the scariest factor for the Pistons is that Orlando didn’t even shoot well in game one. Desmond Bane was incredible in their play-in loss to the 76ers, but is 1/11 from three since that game. If he starts shooting even close to his normal averages, Detroit might be in danger of a massive upset. The Magic are +9.5 on Wednesday, and that feels like a great bet after tonight’s performance.
