Jamal Cain, who spent four years playing basketball at Marquette University, generated one of the highlights of the NBA playoffs when he threw down an eye-opening dunk April 27 in the Orlando Magic's 94-88 win over visiting Detroit.
Cain finished with eight points in 24 minutes for Orlando but also drew a tough defensive assignment on Detroit star Cade Cunningham as the Magic, seeded eighth, took a 3-1 series lead over the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
No. 8 seeds have only beaten No. 1 seeds four times since the current playoff format was instituted in 2003, and local fans will remember the last one. The Miami Heat defeated the hobbled Milwaukee Bucks in 2023, en route to the NBA Finals, and Cain played 18 games for that Heat team in the regular season after getting his foot in the door with an Exhibit 10 contract.
CAIN'S POSTER SLAM, FROM ALL ANGLES 🔥 https://t.co/bRTpaxkaak pic.twitter.com/NxiH5Iq6tc
The 76ers defeated the Bulls in 2012, the Grizzlies got the best of the Spurs in 2011 and the Warriors shocked the Mavericks in 2007. The New York Knicks in 1999, led by Milwaukee native Latrell Sprewell, upset the Heat in a best-of-five format en route to their own Finals appearance, and the Nuggets beat the Sonics in five games in 1994.
Cain's driving dunk over Detroit's Jalen Duren came midway through the fourth quarter after the Pistons had pulled back to within two points and sent the Kia Center into a frenzy.
It's Cain's fourth NBA season and first with Orlando after two years with Miami and one with New Orleans. He played in a career-best 40 games, averaging 5.4 points per game. Late in the season, Cain found a role as an energizer off the bench for Magic coach Jamahl Mosely, who was born and raised in Milwaukee.
Originally from the Detroit area, Cain spent four seasons at Marquette, capped with the 2020-21 season, when he averaged 9.6 points per game. He transferred to Oakland University for his final college season and averaged 19.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, earning Horizon League co-Player of the Year.
“The win feels amazing.”Jamal Cain walk off interview 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/HisVWBG4P8
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-MU player Cain throws down audacious dunk as Magic near NBA upset