Detroit Pistons starting forward Tobias Harris has put his team on notice for not taking the playoffs seriously enough, and he’s not wrong.
Despite being the top team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, the Pistons are down 3-1 in their first-round series against the eighth seeded Orlando Magic. With another early elimination staring them in the face, Detroit needs to get to work and prove they belong in the postseason.
Tobias Harris Calls Out Pistons for Being ‘Too Casual’ in the Playoffs
So far, the 2026 NBA Playoffs have been a bad scene for Detroit, with Orlando essentially dominating them in the series. Now, the Pistons are heading back to Little Caesars Arena for what might end up being their final home game of the season.
This isn’t the postseason Pistons fans envisioned. Their team emerged from the regular season as the best in the East, giving them a favorable first-round matchup. It should have been their year.
But instead, the Pistons have struggled to score, can barely hang onto the ball, and don’t seem to be playing with much urgency. Really, they have only managed to play 24 minutes of playoff basketball in this series. That would have been the second half of Game 2. Other than that, the Pistons look like they’re on autopilot most of the time.
Even Cade Cunningham is having a tough series, as proven in Game 4. He finished that game with a respectable 25 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. The problem was that he only shot 30.4% from the field and racked up eight turnovers — one less than he had in Game 3.
Casual Play Leads to Pistons’ Turnovers
After his team’s lackluster performance in their Game 4 loss, Harris quite accurately called the problem out, emphasizing a need to limit the turnovers and live in the moment.
“This is playoff basketball. We got to be more ready to just go out there and scrap like we need it,” Harris said Monday. “We’re a little too casual. Everybody knows that. In our locker room, we have to be better.”
Simply put, Detroit isn’t fighting for it at all. The Pistons seem okay with letting the game wash over them, giving the Magic endless opportunities to take advantage of. Detroit had 20 turnovers in Game 4, and Orlando turned those mistakes into 23 points. In a game that was ultimately decided by a six-point margin, those turnovers were absolute killers.
This has been a problem for the Pistons throughout the series. Across all four games, Detroit has collected a total of 73 turnovers, 27 of which were owned by Cunningham. As their primary ball handler and top star, it’s not surprising that he would end up with a few turnovers. Averaging 6.8 in the playoffs, however, is unacceptable.
The same is true for the rest of the Pistons, who are currently averaging 18.3 turnovers per game against the Magic. This is exactly what Harris was talking about. It’s sloppy, uninspired play by a team that doesn’t act like they are taking the playoffs seriously. Orlando sure is. They’ve only committed a total of 57 turnovers in the same series for an average of 14.3 per game. On top of that, the Magic are making the Pistons pay for every mistake, collecting game-changing points off their turnovers.
Too Little, Too Late for Detroit
Game 5 will send the Pistons back to the support of a hometown crowd to lift their spirits and hopefully push them to a season-saving win. The problem is that Detroit would have to significantly change their ways to pull that off three times in a row.
Harris has correctly identified the problem and accurately called it out. Now, it’s up to the rest of the team to rise to the challenge. Being the number one seed is great, but it doesn’t mean a team like the Magic will roll over in the first round. Even if the Pistons manage to win Game 5 and make the series a little less embarrassing, winning two more after that seems like more than they could handle.
Still, the series isn’t over yet. It’s not impossible for the Pistons to win the next three games and advance to the second round. That being said, it is highly improbable. Only 13 teams in NBA history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series. The question is if the Pistons have what it takes to be team No. 14.
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