The Detroit Pistons are in a difficult position against the Orlando Magic after an intense Game 3 loss at Kia Center in Orlando, with the score 113-105.
Detroit rallied from 17 points down late in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon, only to surrender the game’s final nine points. They now trail the Magic, 2-1, in the series.
Fans and experts have reacted to the Game 3 result.
Historical Odds Stacked Against Pistons
Teams winning Game 3 of a best-of-seven series tied at 1 win the series 73.7% of the time in NBA history.
The NBA rarely sees 8-seeds beat 1-seeds in the playoffs, but it’s not unprecedented.
The 1-seed Pistons went 60-22 in the regular season (the 8-seed Magic were 45-37), but are staring at joining a sad list. Only two teams have won at least 60 games in the regular season and lost their first-round series: the 2007 Dallas Mavericks and the 2011 San Antonio Spurs.
Lineup Choices Under Scrutiny
The Pistons began the fourth with a Daniss Jenkins-Duncan Robinson-Ausar Thompson-Javonte Green-Isaiah Stewart lineup.
That lineup apparently played eight total minutes in the regular season. The Magic immediately went on a 7-0 run to lead by 15.
The Pistons responded late, led by scoring from Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris, but ultimately, their poor play for much of the game was too much to overcome.
Duren’s Performance and Calls for Offseason Changes
Fan criticism has centered on Jalen Duren after Game 3. He scored eight points, shooting 3-for-10.
Fans are also calling for president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon to be more aggressive in his third offseason this summer.
While the season is not over, there were emotional reactions as expected.