{"id":1906820,"date":"2026-04-28T11:35:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T08:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1906820"},"modified":"2026-04-28T11:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T08:35:25","slug":"pistons-season-on-the-brink-against-magic-weve-got-to-fight-like-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1906820","title":{"rendered":"Pistons\u2019 season on the brink against Magic: \u2018We\u2019ve got to fight like hell\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ORLANDO \u2014 It was hard to imagine this series getting worse for Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons. And then Jamal Cain came soaring down the lane.<\/p>\n

Duren rotated over in the paint to help cut off the drive. He did so somewhat passively, throwing his hands up and positioning himself in front of the rim. It wasn\u2019t the physical, aggressive defense for which the Pistons are known. And he paid the price.<\/p>\n

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The two collided midair, but Cain continued climbing as he punched home one of the biggest dunks of these playoffs. Cain, whose power bowled over Duren and sent him to the floor, flexed as he stared the Pistons big man down.<\/p>\n

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It was a moment that encapsulated Monday\u2019s 94-88 loss to the Orlando Magic in Game 4, pushing Detroit to the brink of elimination.<\/p>\n

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\u201cObviously upset,\u201d Duren told The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cWe feel like we dropped at least more than one game that we were supposed to win. Everything is self-inflicted. The turnovers, not executing when we needed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duren, a fourth-year center, took a leap this season and appeared poised to announce his arrival among the league\u2019s best this postseason. Much like the Pistons, he looked ready. He sounded ready. But the playoffs are different.<\/p>\n

The postseason has exposed Duren\u2019s flaws. Orlando\u2019s Wendell Carter Jr. has proved to be a nemesis \u2014 decisive with his movements offensively, efficient and has elevated his play in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Duren has looked like a shell of himself for much of Detroit\u2019s postseason. On Monday, he finished with 12 points and eight boards, but came short of the impact to which he\u2019s accustomed.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the Pistons \u2014 winners of 60 games, the third team in franchise history to reach that plateau \u2014 entered this postseason planning to announce themselves as contenders. But the playoffs are different.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way we\u2019ve been playing, that stuff\u2019s not good enough to win games,\u201d Cade Cunningham said. \u201cThey\u2019re outrebounding us, turning me over, we haven\u2019t hit enough shots, our defense hasn\u2019t caught its foot. So, it\u2019s not shocking we\u2019re losing games playing like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Detroit\u2019s flaws are being exposed. A team built on physicality has run into a more physical and more athletic team. And the Pistons\u2019 lack of a proven co-star next to Cunningham, and their inconsistent outside shooting, have been so underwhelming as to cast doubt on the contender status they built this season.<\/p>\n

Now, they\u2019re a loss away from an early vacation. The Pistons and Duren are in search of answers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt ain\u2019t over, bro,\u201d Duren said. \u201cTeams have come back from down 3-1 so many times. It wouldn\u2019t be the first time in history. We\u2019ve got to keep it one at a time, go protect the crib and keep moving from there.<\/p>\n

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\u201cS\u2014 ain\u2019t over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thirteen teams in NBA history have won a series after trailing 3-1. The 2003 Pistons were one. They came back to beat the Orlando Magic.<\/p>\n

But if the Pistons are to pull it off, it might require a lineup change. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn\u2019t express any interest in modifying the first five on Monday. But the way Isaiah Stewart is playing, Bickerstaff should consider it.<\/p>\n

Stewart \u2014 whose locker is always next to Duren\u2019s \u2014 has matched up well against Orlando. He spaces the floor more effectively than Duren. Though he\u2019s only attempted three triples this series, Stewart made two of them and is enough of a threat to force the Magic to close out to him.<\/p>\n

Detroit\u2019s starting lineup features two non-shooters in Duren and Ausar Thompson. Duren allows Orlando to clog the paint, which limits space for Cunningham to get downhill. Tobias Harris, one of the shooters, is now 3-for-21 from 3-point range in the series. It\u2019s making offense harder to come by for the Eastern Conference\u2019s No. 1 seed.<\/p>\n

Also, Stewart\u2019s rim protection has been much better. Monday, he had a career-high eight blocks in 17 minutes.<\/p>\n

One of Stewart\u2019s highlight sequences came with 4:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Magic guard Jalen Suggs came barreling down the lane, perhaps looking for revenge for Stewart\u2019s block of his dunk attempt in Game 2. Suggs didn\u2019t get that revenge.<\/p>\n

Stewart sent Suggs away, careening to the floor, just as he did two games ago. Carter collected the offensive rebound and went up for a score. Stewart blocked his shot, too.<\/p>\n

Duren has seven blocks in 123 minutes. Stewart has 12 blocks in 64 minutes. Duren\u2019s defensive rating in this series is 109.1, second-worst on the team. Stewart\u2019s is 87.7.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI know what I mean to this team, I know what I was drafted here to do and I know I\u2019m built for playoff basketball,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cSo I\u2019m just ready whenever my name is called. And whenever my name is called, I\u2019m ready to lay it on the line like I display every single night.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, you\u2019ve got to trust the game plan Coach has, and you\u2019ve got to be there for your teammates. It sucks because I want to be out there more because I know what I bring, and I know the impact I have on the game. I know (the Magic) don\u2019t want me out there for a reason. So, yeah, it\u2019s tough. But at the end of the day, (I\u2019m going to) be the best teammate that I can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Despite being the No. 1 seed, the Pistons are still a young team. Heart alone can\u2019t compensate for experience.<\/p>\n

Certainly, this 3-1 hole extends beyond Duren\u2019s deficiencies. Cunningham\u2019s turnovers have been problematic. While he\u2019s averaging 29.5 points and 7.5 assists, he\u2019s also been posting 6.8 turnovers per game.<\/p>\n

Monday was the second clutch game in this series. Detroit\u2019s been outscored by 15 points combined in those two games, losing both. That\u2019s the worst of the 16 teams in the playoffs. Orlando, at plus-15, leads all playoff teams.<\/p>\n

This is the first time Duren\u2019s been called upon to be a No. 2 offensive option in a playoff series. And the Magic have kept multiple defenders on him to neutralize his impact. At 22 years old, in his second postseason, these hard lessons could be necessary for him to grow.<\/p>\n

Maybe for where the Pistons are going, they need to grow through this together. Even if it means getting bounced by Orlando.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what\u2019s on the table. No other options. No more room for error. It\u2019s show up or go home. We have seen the Pistons and Duren respond before, and they\u2019ll have an opportunity to do so again, starting Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn these situations, you see who\u2019s made of what,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cOur back is against the wall and it ain\u2019t no quit. One game at a time, go protect the crib and come back to take one at their home. We\u2019ve just got to take it a game at a time. Our back is against the wall, so we\u2019ve got to fight like hell.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO \u2014 It was hard to imagine this series getting worse for Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons. And then Jamal Cain came soaring down the lane. Duren rotated over in the paint to help cut off the drive. He did so somewhat passively, throwing his hands up and positioning himself in front of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1906820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1906820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906820\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1906820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1906820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1906820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}