The Detroit Pistons have an important decision to make before facing the Orlando Magic in game seven on Sunday
During last night’s 93-79 victory over the Orlando Magic in game six, the Detroit Pistons pulled off one of the most historic comebacks in postseason history. Down 22 at halftime, the Pistons fought back from as large as a 24-point deficit before eventually winning the game by double-digits, which is an incredible feat in and of itself.
Playing on the road, the Pistons worked together to swing the series momentum back in their direction with their backs against the wall. Detroit forced the Magic into 23 consecutive field goal misses during the fourth quarter, and that defensive intensity was the gamebreaking quality for the Pistons last night.
“What this group has been for the entire season, the consistency, the commitment to something greater than themselves, the willingness to do it together, the want to not disappoint each other– we just have amazing spirit and never quit,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “This is just a testament of what we’ve built and how these guys have responded.”
During the second half, the Pistons were forced to look a bit deeper down the bench when starting center Jalen Duren went to the locker room with a finger injury. Though Duren was eventually able to reenter the game later on, the Pistons opted to insert Paul Reed into the lineup with the hopes of tipping the scales back in Detroit’s favor.
“He’s one of those guys that personifies our spirit,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s one of those guys that anytime you put him on the floor, he’s active. He’s aggressive. He’s all over the place coming up with steals, deflections, blocked shots, rebounds. I thought that was needed at that moment. We needed to keep that energy, keep that spark, and I knew he would bring it to us.”
When the final buzzer sounded, the Pistons had fought back to even footing with three wins apiece in their first round series. Reed registered six points, six rebounds and three blocks during the contest, but his energy and presence in the low post helped fortify the Pistons frontcourt, and Detroit was able to channel that impact at the most pivotal moment of their season thus far.
During the highly contested playoff matchup, the Pistons have struggled to score in the paint at times, which is a bizarre occurrence for a Detroit team that ranked among the NBA’s best in that category. In particular, Duren has left the most to be desired by averaging just 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in the postseason after nearly posting 20 and 10 numbers in the regular season.
Throughout the series, Duren has struggled to find opportunities down low when matched up against Wendell Carter Jr. The two big men have battled for six games so far, and Detroit’s All-Star has been frustrated by those results. In fairness, the Magic have done a quality job of packing the paint and throwing drop coverage at JD in the post, but the first-time All-Star has evaporated as the Pistons’ secondary scoring option as soon as the playoffs roll around.
Of course, Isaiah Stewart has provided the defensive rim protection that one would expect from Beef Stew, but perhaps Reed should be utilized a bit more liberally during game seven considering the wide-reaching impact B-Ball Paul had in the Pistons’ 14-point win on Friday night.
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