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By Megan Armstrong
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Detroit Pistons All-Star Jalen Duren is considered one of the best young centers in the NBA.
Orlando Magic forward Jamal Cain does not care.
The eighth-seeded Magic held a 78-76 lead over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in Game 4 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series Monday night. Cain drove by Pistons All-NBA and All-Star guard Cade Cunningham and roared downhill with a head of steam into the lane. Duren unwisely, as it were, decided to try to get in Cain's way, and Cain postered him into next week.
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Cain slammed a thunderous dunk, while Duren stumbled backward onto the floor:
The Magic have the Pistons collectively stumbling after winning Game 4, 94-88, at Kia Center in Orlando. Absolutely nobody outside of Orlando foresaw the Magic taking a 3-1 series lead over Detroit. According to the NBC broadcast, the Magic are the sixth 8-seed to hold a 3-1 lead over a 1-seed, and four of the five previous 8-seeds in that situation advanced.
The Pistons have to be kicking themselves for various reasons, especially because the Magic shot just 32.6% from the floor and still won. According to Keerthika Uthayakumar, that is the fifth-worst playoff field goal percentage by any team in the three-point era. Detroit failed to take advantage, only shooting 38% from the floor.
The Magic were also helped by the fact that Cunningham and Duren combined for more turnovers (12) than the entire Orlando team (10), per StatMuse.
Less than two weeks ago, the Magic looked like a dead team walking after losing 109-97 to the Philadelphia 76ers in their first Play-In Tournament game. Orlando was able to still sneak into the first round of the NBA playoffs as the eighth seed by pulverizing the Charlotte Hornets by 31 points in the second Play-In game.
Now, the Magic can complete the biggest upset of these playoffs if they eliminate Detroit with a Game 5 win in Detroit on Wednesday night. Home court should be an advantage for the Pistons, but their first home playoff win since 2008 came earlier this series.
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