Orlando bullies top-seeded Detroit, gets Game 1 upset on the road 112-101
Detroit never led in a game at home, and concerns about secondary shot creation and shooting became reality.
That was the Orlando Magic we have been waiting for all season. From the opening tip, the Magic were the more physical team and pushed the No. 1 seed Pistons around, scoring 54 points in the paint (20 more than Detroit).
Orlando started the game aggressively on defense and started hot on the other end — 7-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 from the arc — while Detroit was an offensive mess, starting 1-of-6 shooting with four turnovers. The result was that just four and a half minutes into the game, the Magic were up 13 and getting whatever they wanted. Detroit never caught up.
"I thought we were a little rusty to start," Pistons coach J. B. Bickerstaff said.
"Giving up a 35-point quarter, that's not typical of us. I felt like we were chasing them all night. " While Detroit made some runs, they never got over the hump and Orlando pulled off the upset, 112-101.