That was the Orlando Magic we have been waiting for all season.
From the opening tip, the Magic were the more physical team and pushed the No. 1 seed Pistons around, scoring 54 points in the paint (20 more than Detroit). Orlando started the game aggressively on defense and started hot on the other end — 7-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 from the arc — while Detroit was an offensive mess, starting 1-of-6 shooting with four turnovers.
The result was that just four and a half minutes into the game, the Magic were up 13 and getting whatever they wanted.
"I thought we were a little rusty to start," Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Giving up a 35-point quarter, that's not typical of us. I felt like we were chasing them all night."
While Detroit made some runs, they never got over the hump and Orlando pulled off the upset, 112-101.Game 2 is Wednesday night in Detroit.
Paolo Banchero was the best No. 1 pick on the court in this game, finishing with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, with nine rebounds. All five Magic starters scored at least 16 points, with Franz Wagner adding 19 on the night.
This was two monster games from the Magic in a row, including crushing Charlotte in the final play-in game. Orlando, finally healthy, may be peaking at the right time.
Detroit has some work to do to bounce back in Game 2.
There were a couple of concerns about the Pistons heading into the playoffs. One was who would be the secondary scoring behind Cade Cunningham? Turns out, nobody in Game 1. Cunningham was every bit the All-NBA player, putting up 39 points and leading the offense, but the only other Piston to score in double-figures was Tobias Harris with 17, and he shot 5-of-15 on the night.
The other concern was a lack of shooting, and that played out, too. Detroit shot just 36.8% outside the paint, including 31.3% from 3-point range. Orlando did not have to respect Detroit's shooters.
Which led to a rough night for Jalen Duren, who had just eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in his 33 minutes.
"They packed the paint," Bickerstaff said. "They're going to put a bunch of bodies in the paint to make it difficult on him."Detroit earned the No. 1 seed with its defense, but the Magic's 114.3 offensive rating for the night was right about their season average. On the other hand, Detroit's offensive rating of 102 was more than 15 points below its season average.
Detroit's going to have to match Orlando's physicality and be better in the paint in Game 2 — two areas where the Pistons thrived during the regular season.
All season long, the Pistons bounced back from adversity and exceeded expectations. Doing that in the playoffs is the real test, however.