Can we just talk about Orlando Magic forward Jamal Cain’s dunk on Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren?
I mean, seriously, look:
Do we even care about the game? Like, who actually won? I genuinely don’t remember.
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That is one of the nastiest throw-downs ever and not just in a playoff context. Cain kept climbing and dunked on Duren, a man built like a Greek god, so hard the All-Star center backpeddled after coming down back to Earth.
(OK, the Magic took a commanding 3-1 series lead by winning 94-88, but that’s definitely just a B-story to Cain’s jam.)
In all seriousness, let’s dive into Orlando’s big win Monday night as it tries to become the seventh No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 in NBA history.
As Cunningham entered Game 4, he had totaled 19 turnovers in the the series.
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By halftime, he was up to 25 after turning it over six times in the first half.
While Cunningham is ultimately responsible for hanging on to the ball, the Pistons’ roster construction isn’t doing him any favors.
With both Duren and Ausar Thompson being almost entirely non-threats from the outside, Orlando has the freedom to double- and even triple-team Cunningham, swarming him whenever his feet are inside the 3-point line.
While Tobias Harris has done a solid job of adding spacing and overall scoring, the bottom line is simple: It shouldn’t be this difficult for the Pistons to generate offense through Cunningham, but they have no other creators on the roster.
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Perhaps they should have made a play for someone at the trade deadline, instead of sitting still.
But here they are, shooting 37.8% from the floor and 20% from 3 in a crucial Game 4 as their season appears to be slipping away.
Throughout the regular season, it was never in doubt who, among Carter and Duren, had the best season. Duren was an All-Star, a double-double machine and one of the most exciting young players in the league.
Carter, who is far more of a role player than a featured star, apparently didn’t get the memo.
During this series, the 6-foot-10 Carter has constantly outhustled, outworked and outdone Duren. It’s not always reflected in his raw line (Carter had 12 points and 11 rebounds in Game 4), but his effort has put a spotlight on Duren as he enters free agency this summer.
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Duren has struggled mightily all series, scoring a grand total of 39 points over the course of the four games, finding it difficult to get up shots, getting beat by Carter on backdoor lobs and overall having one heck of a troublesome series, which could cost him millions this July.
Dear Jamahl Mosley, make better use of Paolo Banchero
I may sound like a broken record here, but giving Banchero the ball high out on the floor and asking him to “do stuff” (which I’m guessing is his directive, because there doesn’t seem to be anything close to a plan), is aching for punishment.
Banchero isn’t a natural shooter, nor is he particularly effective as a spacer.
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He is, however, ridiculously good near the rim, and when he ducks in for layups and dunks, he draws a ton of fouls and converts plays.
Orlando has one of the most inconsistent offenses in the league, and its plan is to use its most versatile offensive player, who is an athletic 6-10, 250-pound powerhouse, as an outside-in option?
It’s been nonsensical for a while now, and it only looks worse after Banchero shot 4-of-18 from the floor and missed all four of his 3-point attempts Monday night.
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