Cade Cunningham takes huge superstar step by saving Pistons from first-round upset

Cunningham came up with three elimination-game gems as Detroit rallied from 3-1 down to beat Orlando

This first-round series against the Orlando Magic was a major test in the rapidly ascending career of Cade Cunningham, and he passed it with flying colors. For the first time in his five NBA seasons, Cunningham is headed to the second round of the playoffs after the Pistons defeated Orlando, 116-94, in Game 7 on Sunday. 

This was dicey for the Pistons, who were in pure survival mode in this series. When they went down 3-1, they looked all but finished in a particularly problematic matchup against one of the only teams that can match the Pistons' defense and physicality. Only two factors provided real hope of a comeback: Orlando's painfully poor offense and Cunningham. Both came through.

Outside of Paolo Banchero, Orlando's offense was utterly inept in Game 7 and for most of the series overall. You could've pulled a fan out of the stands to shoot better than Jalen Suggs. Meanwhile, Cunningham was incredible, particularly when Detroit's margin for error shrank to zero. 

It goes way beyond the numbers, but that's where we'll start. With it all on the line, Cunningham became the first player in history to record at least 30 points, 10 assists, two blocks and two 3-pointers in a Game 7, and he cleared those filters comfortably with 32 points, 12 assists and four 3-pointers on Sunday.  

Cade vs. elimination

Game 5

45

13-23

14-14

Game 6

32

10-23

10-12

Game 7

32

10-18

8-10

For the series, Cunningham averaged 32.4 points, 7.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only other player who averaged 30 points through the first round). The Pistons won his minutes by 49 points, and lost his bench minutes by 16. 

Over the final three elimination games, Cunningham scored 109 points. It's tied for the most a player has ever scored in Games 5-7 of a series while overcoming a 3-1 deficit, along with LeBron James (109 points in the 2016 Finals vs. Golden State) and Jamal Murray (109 points in 2020 vs. Utah in the first round). 

Most PPG in elimination games ever: 33.1 — LeBron James 32.8 — Luka Doncic 31.3 — Michael Jordan 31.2 — Cade Cunningham pic.twitter.com/8dXp41Mod1

— Polymarket Hoops (@PolymarketHoops) May 4, 2026

In Game 6, with the Magic leading by as many as 24 and appearing well on their way to becoming the seventh No. 8 seed in history to upset a No. 1 seed, Cunningham proceeded to outscore the Magic 24-19 by himself in the second half. 

It's easy for people to drop the "this is what superstars do" line in moments like this, but the truth is, very few superstars actually do what Cunningham just did. Last season the Pistons were playing with house money. In these playoffs, Detroit is expected to contend. That's a different animal. And there isn't a single player in these playoffs with more on his shoulders than Cunningham. 

Give Tobias Harris his flowers (30 points with five 3-pointers in Game 7, and 22 and 8 for the series), but for all intents and purposes, the Pistons were pretty exposed as a one-man show in this series. 

The Magic are a nasty, pressure defensive team, and the Pistons, devoid of any real shooting threat, did not force them to space out. As a result, Cunningham basically had 10 eyeballs, and multiple bodies, on him at every turn and still managed to pull 227 points and 50 assists out of these rugby-scrum possessions. 

You largely excuse his 41 turnovers in this series because of how much he had to do and how much pressure he was under while doing it. It wasn't always efficient for the same reasons, but in the end he finished with a true-shooting percentage north of 60 and was 40% from 3. 

Even in the stretches when nothing was going right, he never lost his poise or compromised his pace; if anything, that is what superstars do. He kept attacking the paint. Kept working himself to the free-throw line, where he was 62 for 74 for the series. When it counted, his shot was pure. He finished 11 for his last 19 from deep. 

"We built a lot of momentum going into these playoffs, and to lose in the first round would have really stung," Cunningham said following Game 7. "It would have stung the city. The city has gotten more and more excited about this team, and we feel the love, so we wanted to perform."

Suffice it to say, Cunningham performed. And he'll have to continue to do so if the Pistons are going to get past Cleveland in the conference semifinals. Hopefully Jalen Duren rediscovers his offensive juice, and as a whole the Pistons are able to provide Cunningham with more proper support, but no matter what happens, from here on out Detroit will have the best player on the floor in Eastern Conference series it enters. 

That counts for a lot. 

Think of it this way: Cunningham has now seen by far the toughest defense in the Magic he'll see the rest of the way through the East, so in that sense things get considerably easier from here. Don't be surprised if the Pistons take off after escaping this upset. Again, Orlando was like playing their twin. Against Cleveland, and potentially New York or Philly, they can get back to winning bully-ball style. 

This was a huge step for Detroit. And for Cunningham, as he continues to force his way into the top-tier of the superstar conversation. He isn't a finalist for MVP, but he's an MVP-caliber player. He proved that all season. And he definitely proved that in this series.