The Detroit Pistons did not just survive a Game 7 against the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon. They shrugged off three straight elimination games and walked out of Little Caesars Arena as Eastern Conference semifinalists for the first time since 2008.
Cade Cunningham led the way with 32 points and 11 assists, becoming only the second Piston in franchise history to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in a Game 7. The other was Isiah Thomas, who watched from the stands and rose with the rest of the building when Cunningham closed out a comeback that has put the rest of the conference on notice.
"It's an honor to be in the same sentence as a legend like IT," Cunningham told ESPN's Lisa Salters in the on-court interview. "I'm glad he was here. I'm glad he was able to watch. Just being able to talk to him, pick his brain, and have his support, it's amazing. Now I feel extremely lucky to have that. Being part of a franchise like this, I want to keep it going."
The Magic had pushed Detroit to the brink of an embarrassing first-round exit. After Orlando went up 3-1, the top-seeded Pistons had to win Game 5 in Detroit, win Game 6 on the road, and then close it at home. Cunningham described what allowed his team to keep finding answers.
"We just maintained our intensity. We played our brand of basketball. When we do that, we're hard to deal with. We know that. So just keeping that up and holding ourselves accountable every game, that's the name of the game for us."
Tobias Harris, the veteran wing whose midseason trade looked questionable when Detroit added him in February, was the second-leading scorer with 30 points and nine rebounds. Cunningham, asked what has impressed him most about Harris's elimination-game performances, framed the answer in terms of leadership rather than scoring.
"He's a pro's pro. He steps up when the lights are bright. He's been huge for us all year, but his leadership and the way that he's stepped up not only on the floor but also at practices, using his mind and stuff. He's been huge for us, man. We've got to have somebody like that to move on and we've got one."
Harris has now been traded five times in his career, four of them at the deadline. He arrived in Detroit having spent stints with the Bucks, Magic, Pistons, Clippers, and Sixers. Mike Breen, on the ABC broadcast, summarized the wing's career philosophy. "He took it as a positive and every time he was traded said, hey, somebody wants me. I'm also going to learn from new teammates, from new coaches."
For Cunningham, the moment also represented closure. He had spoken before Game 7 about the team's previous game not mattering unless the series was finished. He was asked what it felt like standing on the court and seeing Pistons legends giving the team a standing ovation.
"It feels good. Feels good that we handled our business and did what we set out to do. They really pushed us to the limit. We've grown a lot because of this series, because of that team and the way they pushed us. So huge credit to them. We're ready to get to the second round and continue business."
The Pistons advance to face the winner of Cleveland and Toronto, with Game 7 of that series scheduled for Sunday night. Cunningham, asked how Detroit will carry the comeback momentum forward, kept his answer characteristically measured.
"We've got to keep playing our brand of basketball. We know it's not going to be easy. It gets tougher and tougher every round. So we just got to stay ourselves and continue to get better each round. The Magic pushed us. We're a lot better team because of this. We're excited to see what the next challenge holds."
