Cade Cunningham delivered both production and clarity after the Detroit Pistons erased a 24-point deficit to beat the Orlando Magic 93-79 in Game 6 on Friday night.
The All-Star guard, who finished with 32 points, pointed directly to mentality when explaining the rally. “Fight to see another day, never say die mentality. That’s who we are. We weren’t going to lay down for anything.”
Detroit trailed 60-38 at halftime and fell behind by 24 early in the third quarter before flipping the game with a 35-5 run.
Cunningham said belief inside the locker room never wavered despite the deficit. “We had a big hill to climb. But there was still a lot of confidence in the room that we were going to do it together and find a way out.”
The Pistons leaned on defense, holding Orlando scoreless on 23 consecutive field-goal attempts during the decisive stretch.
“Just staying poised, sticking with what we were doing, just trying to chip away, winning with our defense,” Cunningham said. “Just staying poised and staying in the moment.”
That defensive identity translated into execution on both ends. “Just executing our system. That’s really it. Executing our system. Our intensity picked up and rebounding the basketball.”
Detroit outrebounded Orlando 52-38 and limited the home team to 35% shooting, including 25% from three-point range.
The third-year guard emphasized the importance of incremental progress during the comeback. “It was going to be about chipping away at it, cutting it down to 11 and cutting it down to six and taking the lead. All that stuff could happen fast in the game.”
Veteran voices also played a role in stabilizing the group at halftime. “JD [Jalen Duren] and Stew [Isaiah Stewart] talking to us, letting us know we’re going to keep fighting,” Cunningham said. “The message was we still believed that we could get back in the game and win the game.”
Bench production shifted momentum, particularly from Paul Reed, who provided energy in limited minutes.
“He works harder than anybody,” Cunningham said. “Anytime his number’s called, he’s ready to go. He comes right out there and imposes himself on the game.”
Reed finished with six points, six rebounds, and three blocks in 11 minutes, helping ignite the turnaround.
Cunningham credited defense as the consistent trigger for Detroit’s runs throughout the series. “When we’re guarding the way that we’re supposed to, it’s really hard for them to score on us.”
The Pistons have now won two straight elimination games and return home for Game 7 with momentum.
“It keeps us alive. It allows us to fight another day,” Cunningham said. “None of this stuff means anything if we don’t go win game seven.”
