Detroit squints at the end
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NO. 1 VS. NO. 8 GAME 4
Magic lead series, 3-1
Three problems for Detroit that I can spot. You might see more.
To top it: Orlando was meant to fight for a title, gotta remember that this Magic rotation was put together with expectation to make it out of the East. Orlando traded four first-round picks and a first-round swap to get off the final two seasons of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's contract. And for Desmond Bane.
Secondly, Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung 43 days ago, returned to play basketball 20 days ago. Turned it over 10 times in 78 warmup minutes to end the regular season, a lot, plus 27 turnovers in four playoff games.
Last is Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. I don't want to tell him how to do his job, but I'm sure many Pistons fans and also some Pistons do.
Caris LeVert was out there, down the stretch of a must-win playoff game. Falling into teammates, trying to earn whistles on three-pointers that Caris LeVert wouldn't have earned even when Caris LeVert was hot stuff scoring 20 points per game, which Caris LeVert most certainly was not on Monday (two points in 24 minutes). Caris LeVert would be the fourth reason but for the fact that there was no reason for it, any of it, at all.
I call him by his full name because I love LeVert. Caris LeVert, less so.
Kevin Huerter didn't play. But no, Ron Holland also didn't spring off the bench to guard the other team's lead ball-handler and throw down a dunk strong enough that people stopped talking about pro wrestling on a Monday.
Instead, that was Jamal Cain:
CJ Fogler
Risen.
This game was brutal, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Nobody wanted to turn a corner for long stretches, fearful of an elbow to the jaw, the Magic nearly gave it all away in the first half after tip-toeing into fadeaway three-pointers.
Paolo Banchero was especially bad in this role, his defense also poor, he missed 14-18 looks on the night. Jalen Suggs played like someone too nervous to sleep on Sunday, 1-11 from deep and 1-13 overall. Franz Wagner scored 19 points on 15 shots but had to leave the game early because the Magic didn't want to risk what we'll call "a career-altering injury."
Nobody scored down the stretch. How did anyone win? Desmond Bane banked in a three.
Bane didn't make the three, though it counts for three-points. A made three means the ball goes in the net, first, because that's where it was aimed.
Bane aimed for in the goal but hit the big glass wall behind the goal, missed his target by several feet, but luckily the ball bounced off the wall and into the goal.
What changes in Game 5?
Orlando knows it can end this on a random Wednesday and will try. There are rough plays in this series, hard fouls, mean looks but little enmity (so far). The Magic respect the Pistons and Orlando will try to end it, soon.
Detroit's trouble isn't just personnel, Bickerstaff needs to find a way to turn Jalen Duren into less of a bystander on his own team. Duren worked his tail off to become a dependable two-way big man and he deserves better than this.
Cade Cunningham deserves a floor-spacer on the floor, even if the floor spacer fills the floor with missed shots. Duncan Robinson clanged 5-6 from deep in Game 4, well over 100 feet of missed shots, but he can't play one-third the minutes of Caris LeVert in the fourth quarter again.
Cade deserves better screens off of who the franchise player doesn't want guarding him and onto who the franchise player does want cowering ahead of him. And Pistons fans deserve a proper restart to what was promised to be a championship run. Cunningham shouldn't have to star in order for Detroit to survive this series, and may not: Cade turned the ball over eight times in one regular season game against Orlando, five in another. Zero in another!
The Magic barely owned a positive point differential in 2025-26, but sometimes it takes more than 82 games to find a good matchup. The Pistons can't moan about taking on an Eastern finals-level opponent in the opening round. What they can do is get back to doubling-up the other team on turnovers, not the other way around. Run some plays and finish them.
Get back to Florida and get it right the second time.
Oh, everyone says that after they leave Florida.
Game 5 in Detroit on Wednesday at 7 PM Eastern, Game 6 is Friday, Game 7 could be Sunday if Adam Silver doesn't step in on NBC's behalf to conclude the series
NO. 1 VS. NO. 8 GAME 4
Oklahoma City 131, Phoenix 122
Thunder take series, 4-0
