Magic-Pistons Game 7 REACTION 🍿 Tobias Harris 'was the difference tonight' - Shaq | Inside the NBA

0:00 Detroit Pistons come back from 3-1 down and knock off

0:03 the Orlando Magic just as they did uh way back when

0:09 back in the what 20 03 Cade Cunningham ready to go

0:17 against Paolo Banchero and the magic and early on you

0:21 wondered how they would come out given how bad

0:24 that second half was in game six well one of them

0:27 came out yes he did the other the other did

0:30 not Ernie he scored their first 11 points in the yeah

0:33 Paolo Paolo came out and he tried [music] to compete

0:36 but he had no help but this to me was expected

0:39 Detroit was going to win this game Cade Cunningham connects

0:44 another 30-point game he had four of those in the series

0:48 and Jalen Duren had his first double-double we've been waiting

0:51 for that Cunningham again at 32 and 12 on the day

0:58 hm so was this guy spectacular he tried to will

1:01 his team to win game tied at 45 and then

1:05 this guy willed his team to win boy Tobias Harris

1:09 oh did he ever Cole Anthony 26 finish to the second

1:14 quarter that was the game right [music] there right before

1:16 the half Ernie his change of pace right here is second

1:19 to none right here Detroit running away and Cade just

1:26 piling it on Danish Jenkins for good measure at the end

1:34 of the third quarter yeah who he play for Danish Jenkins

1:37 has had a breakthrough season guy who was on a two-way contract

1:41 what what's his first name Danish Danish yeah you like

1:44 that name I got excited thought it was sweet not Danish

1:48 Danish okay my bad 102-86 Orlando was trying

1:55 to hang around but there's Tobias Harris there.

2:00 And they can celebrate at Little Caesars Arena.

2:04 116 to 94, the Detroit Pistons come back from that 3-1 deficit.

2:10 Get their first series win since 2008.

2:14 Kenny, your takeaway from what you saw from Detroit today, again,

2:20 at home and just that second quarter run just was like,

2:24 I know you're thinking about it, Orlando, but it ain't happening.

2:26 It was a comfortability in making shots.

2:29 I I didn't think the defense was in game

2:32 six was too [clears throat] extreme on either end.

2:35 I just thought guys were not making shots after people made plays.

2:39 So, there are guys who make plays like Paolo and Cade.

2:42 And when they make the play to make it for someone else,

2:46 can you deliver on a shot that is a contested but but pretty much open?

2:51 Today, the Detroit Pistons with Jaden Ivey

2:53 and Tobias Harris was super good at that.

2:55 And then the one thing that Tobias Harris does, he creates a double team.

3:01 You know, it's the you know, I think the first time in the series he was so

3:04 consistent in the post that they had to double-team him as well.

3:07 So, all of a sudden you have Cade and you have Tobias Harris.

3:11 That was just way too much for the Orlando

3:13 Magic who was only getting baskets from one player.

3:16 Yeah, Tobias Harris, season high.

3:18 Didn't have 30 at all in the regular season,

3:21 but he had it today when they needed it most.

3:23 Yeah, the reason why I've been so high on the others is because, you know,

3:26 throughout my career the others have saved me many times and, you know,

3:29 Al Horford had a fantastic game today.

3:31 I knew when he hit that double pump shot

3:33 in the corner that he was going to be hot.

3:35 He played excellent.

3:36 You know, he took uh he took a lot of pressure off Cade.

3:40 And as he just played well.

3:41 And when Al Horford is playing like that and, you know,

3:43 you're at home and the crowd's into the game, there's not much you can do.

3:46 You know, they gave it away uh right before halftime,

3:49 but you You he continued to play so well and, you know,

3:53 once the fire started, it was nothing they could do with with that but Tobias.

3:57 And this team that was the worst three-point shooting

3:59 team in the playoffs goes 16 for 33 today.

4:03 Yeah, I thought this was a foregone conclusion before the game.

4:06 When you when you're up 3-1 and and have

4:08 a chance at home and don't close it out,

4:10 the Pistons were playing with house money today.

4:13 Give Tobias credit.

4:14 He played great.

4:16 You know, cuz my biggest problem with the Pistons

4:18 all year like can they score enough?

4:21 Uh Cade's obviously fantastic.

4:22 The one who surprised me and disappointed me was Jalen Duren.

4:26 But Tobias played great pretty much every game.

4:30 And he stepped it up another level today.

4:33 But man, once they got back to game seven at home,

4:35 you knew there was no way the Magic were going to win that game today.

4:38 I never thought they had a chance because if you lose that game,

4:42 not not the fact that they lost it Ernie, how they lost it.

4:45 Uh you there all losses are not the same.

4:48 When you go 26 you when you miss 27 27 out of 28 misses.

4:53 Yeah, you like and then And you have a 24-point lead.

4:57 You have a 24-point in a closeout game.

4:59 You And listen, if it wasn't for Banchero, they would have beat them by 100.

5:03 Well, let's let's see what Jamahl Mosley has

5:06 to say after the Magic eliminated in seven by Detroit.

5:13 Jamahl, just how did that one shift?

5:15 It looked like Detroit went close out the second quarter fairly strong,

5:18 but obviously there was a second half.

5:19 What changed for you guys to not to not to be able to come back like that?

5:26 First of all, I want to talk about our guys' effort

5:29 and their energy in the game whether shots were falling or not.

5:33 These guys laid it all on the line in this game.

5:36 And that's what I you've all That's all you've asked them to do.

5:39 Uh again, and that's part of being able to coach this group

5:42 that they found a way to fight no matter what the circumstances.

5:45 And then that's the one thing that I want to say

5:47 I'm appreciative of of most of all for this these guys.

5:51 That second quarter, [clears throat]

5:53 couple empty possessions, couple misses at the rim,

5:57 long three, they get out in transition.

5:59 You know, I think the the biggest sign for me

6:01 was when I think we missed one at the rim.

6:02 Cade come down, he hits a knockdown three, and then that's the momentum swing.

6:06 You know, I come out into the third, I thought we did a decent job defensively.

6:10 We just couldn't find the basket, couldn't put it in the hole.

6:12 And I think that was a big portion of it right there, too.

6:16 Coach, what was your message to your to your team there postgame?

6:22 Gratitude.

6:24 Gratitude.

6:25 Um you got to understand like everything

6:28 that's happened with these guys this year,

6:30 they've always found a way, uh never made excuses.

6:33 Never never pointed, blamed, they just they found a way to come together

6:38 in the moments when we needed to get it things done.

6:40 And win or lose, that's not about that always,

6:43 it's just about how they keep finding the ways to battle within games.

6:46 And it's not always pretty,

6:47 but for me it was just the gratitude of being able to coach these guys,

6:51 you know, for 82 plus,

6:53 and be able [snorts] to do the right thing by them to make

6:54 sure that they're putting themselves

6:56 in the best position to be successful overall.

6:59 Is you guys have been in this Mean time,

7:02 the Detroit Pistons have never lost a home game seven.

7:06 They're now five and oh,

7:08 and you see um all the teams they faced in in game seven since 1990.

7:15 You add the Magic to the list, a 22-point win this afternoon.

7:21 We are pleased to welcome to the proceedings Tobias Harris from Detroit,

7:26 where they're celebrating.

7:27 Tobias, thanks a lot for taking a few minutes.

7:29 I appreciate you.

7:31 No problem.

7:31 No problem.

7:31 Thank you.

7:32 Hey, you picked a heck of a time to have a season high, didn't you?

7:37 [laughter] I sure did, man.

7:37 Game seven, so you know,

7:39 we we weren't we weren't coming out of here without a victory today.

7:42 So, I'm proud of our guys and it was huge win for us.

7:46 Let me ask you this as the number one seed,

7:49 um when you fall down 3-1, how much heat are you feeling?

7:56 You know, I think part of this group is we

7:58 do a really good job of just staying in the moment.

8:01 You know, our staff has been preaching to us all year is you know,

8:05 eliminate all the noise and all the chaos

8:06 on the outside and just be ready to play basketball.

8:09 We knew when we fell 3-1 that those games

8:11 we lost we weren't ourselves out there.

8:13 So we just stayed with it.

8:15 Internally we had the belief that we were going to come back in the series

8:18 and we just chopped it all the way down by every quarter we have to win.

8:22 And I thought coach JB and all these guys

8:24 just our whole team came together and really

8:27 had this goal of coming back in the series and we were able to do it.

8:30 Spectacular for us as a team, but we know there's more work to do.

8:34 Tobias, I consider you a great author.

8:36 I played a lot of great authors, Rick Fox,

8:38 Big Shot Bob, James Posey, Big Shot Bob.

8:42 Certain times especially in crucial games they

8:44 would come to me and say, "Big Dog,

8:46 I'm going to be ready today." Did you go to Kay before the game and say,

8:49 "Kay, I know a lot of pressure on you.

8:51 If you kick that thing to me in the corner,

8:53 I will be ready for you today." I most definitely.

8:56 I mean, he knows that from me on a regular.

8:59 And for myself it's just being ready, staying in the moment,

9:01 taking advantage of what the defense gives me out there.

9:04 And you know, the biggest thing is just

9:06 doing whatever I can to help this group win.

9:08 So we know obviously Kay's our guy and he's been tremendous for us

9:12 all series long and just making big shots and making big plays.

9:16 But myself, Dennis Jenkins, JD tonight we had a lot of guys step up

9:20 there and give big efforts for us to win this game.

9:23 You know, you played great honestly the entire series.

9:28 Obviously you exploded today.

9:30 Did you feel physically that you had an advantage with your size?

9:34 Because you You great every game.

9:36 Obviously you went crazy today,

9:38 but did you think you were really aggressive this entire series?

9:42 Did you think you had a size advantage?

9:46 I mean, they're a big team, um but at the same time,

9:48 I know when I get guys who are smaller on me,

9:51 um especially in the post, they're they're they're not growing.

9:54 So, I know I could raise up and get my shot off,

9:56 and I know that really just using my instincts

9:59 out there and and seeing how they play

10:00 defense and finding ways to to put the ball in the basket for us as a group.

10:04 It's what I've done in my whole career,

10:06 just being in a great situation in the moment now to showcase it.

10:09 And I just think the way that we play,

10:11 our energy defensively, offensively, is huge for us.

10:14 So, it was a great series for us as a team to really grow and learn as well.

10:18 So, uh we're excited to move on and get ready for the next round.

10:21 You talk about mental fortitude, uh Tobias, which you showed today because,

10:27 you know, the narrative would have been, "Oh, game seven.

10:31 Let's see what Tobias does this time." And then, all of a sudden,

10:34 what was that mental approach from going from your last

10:37 game seven to this game seven with with Detroit?

10:42 Well, you talking about the last one where I didn't I didn't score?

10:46 Yeah.

10:46 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

10:47 I was I was I was I was I was coming

10:48 I was coming I was I knew I was coming ready today.

10:50 I knew it.

10:50 Listen, I was [laughter] coming ready today.

10:51 Don't get it twisted.

10:53 I was coming ready today.

10:55 Uh I I exactly what I was saying.

10:58 [laughter]

10:57 I mean, I mean, listen, um uh I had time, obviously, to reflect on that.

11:03 Um and, you know, like I just knew for us to win,

11:08 this team needs me to be assertive and aggressive.

11:10 And all series long, just continue to shoot the basketball.

11:13 I put in tremendous amount of hours and work on my game.

11:18 Uh I study this game like no other,

11:19 and I just knew that you got to go out there and leave it all out there.

11:22 So, uh to to what you said, yeah, for sure.

11:24 I I knew what time it was.

11:26 Tobias, last question for all the kids that aspire to be like you.

11:30 When you put the three by your head

11:32 and you act like you was talking on the phone,

11:33 can you explain what that means?" Yeah, it's real simple.

11:37 It's like this, and then I I'm on the phone.

11:40 I'm I'm calling whatever.

11:41 it.

11:41 Okay, got it.

11:42 Yeah, okay, got [laughter] it.

11:43 Okay.

11:44 All right, I appreciate you.

11:46 All right.

11:46 Well, give us a call next round, then.

11:48 Give us [laughter] a call next round.

11:50 know.

11:50 All right, I said, "Thank you,

11:51 guys." All right, Tobias, thank you very much, man.

11:54 Good luck next round.

11:55 I was like, I I know he knew that he had zero points in game seven.

11:59 I just didn't want to call that like that.

12:01 I was telling Kenny in the back, I says, "Man,

12:03 this is interesting." And he's, "What do you mean?" I says,

12:06 "You know, that last game seven in Philly,

12:09 he played 36 minutes and didn't score." And they were pissed in Philly.

12:14 And then to come back and have a game seven like he did today,

12:17 that was that was really pretty cool.

12:19 And to have that kind of veteran presence on this team.

12:21 He and Duncan Robinson lead that team in in playoff appearances.

12:25 This was the 74th game for him, but he brings that factor.

12:28 Yeah, you know, I mentioned them, all the guys who I played with, but, you know,

12:32 I I could remember those guys just coming and saying,

12:34 "Hey, I didn't play well last series,

12:37 last time we had a game seven, I didn't play well last game.

12:39 I'mma be ready for you, big dog." And, you know,

12:42 as much as we marvel over K Calloway,

12:44 he was definitely the different difference tonight,

12:46 and I'm glad he played like that.

12:48 And, you know, Chuck Chuck has already told him,

12:50 he likes to been playing well the whole series.

12:52 I haven't seen him play a long stretch of games like that in a long time.

12:57 So, kudos to him.

12:58 So, they get either Toronto or Cleveland here in the next round.

13:01 Do you think once you get through that first round,

13:04 and and you tell me as guys who have been there,

13:06 if you feel like, "Okay, we're the number one seed, we're supposed to win this.

13:09 Okay, this" Does it free you up a little bit once you get past that first round?

13:14 No.

13:15 Not Not I I I They going to have to find a way to score.

13:19 They're not scoring.

13:21 Like, even that last game they won, they only scored 91 points, Ernie.

13:26 They exploded today and like they you got to score the way the NBA is today.

13:34 Uh I think Toronto is a better match up for them, but if you play the Cavaliers,

13:39 you're going to have to score because Donovan can score,

13:42 James can score, the big two big boys can score.

13:45 Like they they they they are really good defensive team.

13:49 But if you saw in this series Tobias got to keep it going.

13:53 They got to find a way to get Durant going.

13:55 Like he can't be single digits in six out of seven games.

13:59 Needs more 15 and 15s like today.

14:01 Yes.

14:02 Yeah, he was But you but like I say basketball to me,

14:05 I'll tell you like are they freed up?

14:07 Man, they just went they were down 3-1 a week ago.

14:09 So don't act like they gangbusters.

14:11 They going to have to find a way to score.

14:14 They got to give a KD some help, plain and simple.

14:16 I I would agree with the the what the philosophy is,

14:20 but in terms of a mental, yes.

14:23 Because you are the one seed and this is

14:27 kind of the first time that you've been the hunted.

14:30 You've been seeking to be this position and didn't

14:32 realize that it comes with responsibility of of excellence.

14:36 And so now they found some excellence.

14:39 Then you have two or three days you have two

14:41 or three days home and the next game is back at home.

14:45 So you're not on the road and you're not you could focus in a little bit.

14:48 It is to me just a pressure release

14:50 mentally and saying and every series is different.

14:54 During during the game play well against them against the you know Carter.

14:59 But he may play well against whoever's guarding him next series.

15:02 He might have the advantage.

15:04 So I I think that every series is different and every match up is different.

15:08 your question, Ernie, is yes cuz we won.

15:11 Now we can forget about it.

15:12 I got two days to rest and reset my brain

15:14 and figure out who we playing and then the first game is

15:17 going to be a feel out game to you know

15:19 to you know see do we have pressures or are we okay?

15:22 So, that is to question is yes.

15:24 This series is over.

15:25 Yes, we were down 3-1.

15:27 We came back and won, but it's over.