On the role of the fans in the victory:

"The reason we got this victory in more ways than one was our fans. They were absolutely unbelievable and they've been unbelievable through the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows. They propelled us to get this win. The energy that they brought brought the energy for our group and we can't say enough about this fan base and the way that they support us and got this thing going in the right direction."

On what the do-or-die win says about his team:

"Our guys responded. We showed a video this morning and these guys that have all been in the NCAA tournament know you're one and done. That was it tonight — you either end your season or you start a new one. These guys made the commitment to each other and to our staff that we want to keep playing basketball and it showed up first and foremost on the defensive end. That defense in the first half was probably about as elite as we've seen in a while. Anthony Black and Jalen Suggs were high level defensively."

On the elite defense and whether it can spark the playoffs:

"When you play with a sense of desperation and urgency, when you know you're either going home or you're extending your season, that's what it looks like. There is no second chances. These guys took ownership of it — their communication, their toughness, their togetherness. If we would have said at the beginning of the year that you have a chance to play for the 8C seed with all the injuries and everything that happened, would you take it? You would. No matter what happens. These guys showed up and did it the right way."

On Paolo Banchero’s response to criticism and what it says about his character:

"I can't say enough about the young man. I don't think people get how much he wants to work and how much he wants to win. It's easy to always say things when things aren't going the right way, but he just puts his head down and works. That's what he's always done. He finds a way to respond. That's the young man that he is. You rally around him knowing what he's capable of doing. Sometimes when things aren't going great, you have to have the support of those around you. This team will rally and support what he's doing. He's put the work in and that's how he responds. You got to give him a ton of credit for the way he responds to anything that goes on."

On Wendell Carter Jr.’s contribution in the first quarter:

"The most impressive thing was not necessarily the scoring. We talked about them having 24 offensive rebounds in that Miami game and then you hold them to seven tonight. That's big. Diabate has been a monster on the glass and to hold him off, that's a big credit to Wendell. Yes, the scoring is a thing, but his ability to keep him off the glass, our guards making the commitment to come back and help him, them holding each other accountable when it didn't go the way he needed to — when they got a couple 50/50 basketballs — that's what this team is about and that's what it's continued to be about."

On the team finally playing to its potential:

"Not surprising in some ways. It's the moment we did what we were supposed to do. We did the job we needed to do, regardless of what has been said or what we didn't do early on. We gave ourselves an opportunity to be in the playoffs to go play a very good Detroit basketball team. That's what we need to take care of. Enjoy this one for this moment because we got in, but at the end of the day, we still have a job to do."

On the defensive strategy to limit LaMelo Ball:

"Everywhere he turned around, there was a defensive player right on top of him. You give the credit to what Jaylen and AB were able to do. We were switching on them, understanding how to get him inside the line. They took that personally. You got to give the credit to our coaches. They did such an incredible job with this scout — knowing what they just came off of, how they were playing in Miami, how this group has been playing together, how they've been playing fast and scoring the ball. To hold this group to 90 says a lot. Our defensive coaches as well as the offensive coaches put the right game plan together and our guys were committed to following it all the way through. It says a lot about the commitment that these guys have and the expertise of our coaches to be able to get these guys to buy into it and do it the right way."

On setting a physical tone early in the game:

"That's what you have to do to start the game and I think that's how you set the tone right away. We're better when we do that. We're going to go face a Detroit team that is just as physical, just as tough, just as aggressive. Tonight I think our guys did a very good job of setting the tone early — Jalen on the ball early, Desmond chasing over screens, Franz with his closeouts, keeping the ball out of the middle, containing the basketball, taking out the three early on. This team usually shoots 50 plus threes. They got 45 up tonight, but our ability to defend it the right way was very good. It was a beautiful thing to watch and it's a blessing to have our guys continue to get back healthy."

On his message to the team heading into the series in Detroit:

"First of all, get our recovery, get our bodies right. That's the highest priority. Then the next thing is just understand the team that we're about to face. It's one game at a time. Knowing we've played them a couple times already, just being able to be smart in what we're going to do. Our coaches will do a great job with the game plan. We did what we were supposed to do. There's a reason you can be happy tonight, but at the end of the day, you still have more work to do because we know what this team is absolutely capable of."

On what the team needs to do to win the series against Detroit:

"There's a lot and that's why we have great coaches that will put a plan together for our guys. I know the number one priority in a lot of ways is Cade Cunningham. Now they're a very tightly knit together team. They defend at a high clip. They turn you over and make it tough to score. We've got to make sure we're doing all the little things just like in this game against them. That'll be a lot of game planning, a lot of film, a lot of walkthrough in the short time that we have. But our guys will be prepared for what we're going to see on Sunday."

On similarities between the Magic and the Pistons when both are at their best:

"Absolutely. There's a physicality to this game that's going to be real and that's the way Coach Bickerstaff coaches. That's the way that we coach here. There's going to be a lot of aggression. There's going to be a lot of physicality. It's going to be, for lack of a better term, a dog fight. That's what this group is. That's why they've stamped their name as the number one team in the East — because of how they defend, how they get out and how they play off of Cade. And then the other guys step in and do their job."

On why it took until Game 84 and an elimination game for the team to play this well:

"The sense of desperation. I think that was a big portion of it. A lot of times when there's an expectation early on in the year, the guys weigh that weight on them to do it a certain way. But then they say tell God your plans and he laughs. It's going to be the way that it's supposed to be and this is exactly what we needed it to be in this moment. These guys recognized that and they took advantage of it."

On keeping emotions in check in a physical series after Jalen Suggs’ fifth foul:

"I'm not going to say anything about the calls that were called on him. You're not going to get me fined on any of them. A couple of them I'd have to just go back and look at the film and check and see if they were actual aggressive fouls. But for the most part, I thought he did a great job early on. He caught a couple that were maybe a couple touch fouls. We just have to continue to be smart about when we're fouling or when we're grabbing or when we're holding and where that's being seen. That's just got to be the smart part about the game."

On the team’s dominance in points in the paint:

"Quick stops. I think we got stops. So we were able to get out and run, get some early easy baskets. We talked about that before the game — what does that look like? Getting early seals on the smaller guards, being able to sit down and guard and create steals and turnovers. The commitment — and that's why I say our coaches did an unbelievable job of recognizing the game plan for how they were playing us. We've seen it a couple times, the angles of screens, the details of that, how we can get over it, to get downhill, to attack the basket, our ability to share the basketball — 27 assists. Us continuing to share. I think that's going to be the big key coming off of it right away where the defense can't load up."

On Desmond Bane’s physical plays:

"Game changer. And that's who he is. He's a tough guy. He dives on the floor, how many loose balls he gets in front of our bench late in the game. Just those little things. He's just finding ways to win. That's what matters. He sets the tone in a lot of ways for us. Not just Jaylen on the ball to pick up early on, but Desmond being early physical with Canipple. I think those were big keys to this game."

On his feelings after the win and knowing there's more basketball ahead:

"There's nothing but gratitude for being able to coach this game and be around a group of special young men. The fan support — when things aren't always going great, it's easy to say a lot of things, but this group didn't waver to the highest level. They stayed together and they figured out a way to get the win. So I'm super grateful that we get to do it some more and that we know what we're capable of doing. That's just the beauty of the game of basketball and the group that we have in that locker room."

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