Resilient Pistons set sights on Game 7 after digging out of 3-1 series hole

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Unfortunately for the Magic and their fans, there’s something about being in the worst situations that brings out the best in these Detroit Pistons. They feel at home in scenarios that would make most teams wither. They thrive with their backs against the wall. While others bend and break, Detroit bends and somehow strengthens. It’s a quality that has carried the Pistons to 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. One that limited Orlando to 1-of-20 shooting in the fourth quarter. And one Detroit believes will continue carrying it as far as possible. “I have a philosophy I like to say,” Paul Reed told The Athletic over the blaring locker room speaker after the Pistons’ 93-79 Game 6 win. “Pressure either bursts pipe or makes diamonds. Tonight, we came out there and did what we had to do to go get the W and handled business.” It was fitting for Reed to be confident after the remarkable comeback. He helped shift the tenor of the game during the third quarter, putting Detroit on track to notch the largest comeback by a road team facing elimination since the 1996-97 season. Detroit was facing a 62-38 deficit with 11:11 left in the third. What is it that inspires the Pistons to band together when it would be almost customary to wave the white flag and surrender? “We all are cut from that cloth of things not coming easy to us,” Cade Cunningham said. “We’ve had to work to be where we’re at. We’ve had an underdog mentality for a lot of our careers, a lot of our lives. Now that we’re all in the room together, that’s something we’ve bonded over. “Whenever we are in situations like that, it brings us all back to what we bond over and how we’re all cut. That’s when it brings the best out of us.” Cunningham, who had 19 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter, continues to come alive when the moment is the most important. The key for him? “I’m at my best whenever I’m calm and I’m in control of what’s going on,” he said with a smirk. “Just trying to regulate myself as best as I can and making sure I can present my best self. … S—, we got Game 7, we’re going to the crib. That was our job, to come in here to get a win and send it back to Detroit.” The impetus of Detroit’s run was defense. It has been what the Pistons have prided themselves on since coach J.B. Bickerstaff took over in the summer of 2024. Detroit outscored Orlando 55-19 in the second half, allowing just eight points in the fourth quarter. Those 19 points the Pistons allowed were the fewest in any second half in NBA playoff history. Detroit put on a defensive performance unlike anything the association had seen previously. Ausar Thompson, who finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, was essential to the Pistons’ defensive push. Thompson has 14 steals and 14 blocks through six games of the postseason, more stocks than any other player in the playoffs entering Saturday. His weakside block on Wendell Carter Jr. that left the Orlando big man on his knees was arguably Thompson’s most impressive Friday. Cunningham had just sunk his second 3-pointer to notch 30 points with 4:08 remaining. Then, as Carter thought he had an easy dunk off a Jalen Suggs pass, Thompson came flying in, sending the dunk attempt careening off the hardwood and into the hands of Cunningham. Carter eventually fouled out reaching for a steal on Cunningham in transition. Thompson’s defensive effort has been unrivaled in the postseason. He personifies Detroit’s playoff-best 101.9 defensive rating, and his team’s ability to focus on what’s most important. “This game is in the past,” Thompson said. “It’s just a game at a time. We’ve got to worry about Game 7, taking care of that at home. We can’t even think about this game. We can think about what we did well, but we can’t be too high about it.” These Pistons are unique. It’ll take more than a 24-point deficit or roughly 19,000 fans cheering for their demise to supplant them from their top spot in the conference. They feel pressure is a privilege. And Detroit has found a way to summon its fiercest competition style with its season on the line — twice. “I don’t know how to say it enough about this group, but they’re so dialed in and they’re so connected,” Bickerstaff said. “They just don’t want to let each other down. In adverse situations, you’ve got two options: you fight or you run. The nature of this group is they fight. That’s why they’re able to continue to fight through these things. They don’t get down. They don’t put their heads down. “There is no woe is me, there is no selfishness. … It’s ‘what can I do to help the team?’ Time and time again, that’s what they’ve done.” If the Pistons hope to complete this comeback, the resolve they showed Friday will need to be on full display Sunday in Detroit. They understand they need to provide the intensity they played with during the second half from the opening tip. And after fighting its way back from this 3-1 hole to even the series, Detroit seems poised to meet the moment once again. “Now it’s about us going and finishing the job,” Cunningham said. “None of this means anything if we don’t win Game 7.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms