Mike Bianchi: Magic flip the switch against Pistons, turn blackout into breakthrough in Game 3

Not for Detroit.

For Orlando.

After going a combined 3 of 15 from 3-point range in Games 1 and 2, the player the Magic mortgaged four first-round picks for had yet to justify that investment in this series. Until Saturday.

Bane scored the Magic’s first basket on a reverse layup, he then hit his first 3 — and it only got better from there. Bane not only set the tone at the beginning of the game, but at crunch time when he began the fourth quarter with another 3-pointer and then drove into the land of the giants and converted a little left-handed layup with a defender draped all over him. By the time the final horn sounded, Bane had scored 25 points and tied Dennis Scott’s franchise record with seven 3-pointers.

Whether it was rhythm, confidence or simply regression to the mean, Bane finally looked like the player who carried this team through the regular season. And his shooting didn’t just help the scoreboard; it changed the spacing, opening driving lanes for Banchero and Wagner.

“I could go on and on about Desmond Bane,” Mosley said. “Because he’s such a professional, because he doesn’t rattle, because he stays the course and comes to work every single day.”

This is what the Magic envisioned when they made the blockbuster move for Bane during the offseason.

This is why they believed.

Playoff games are often decided in the details; the possessions that don’t show up in highlight reels.

Rebounding. Hustle. Physicality.

Saturday belonged to Orlando.

Turnovers: Pistons 16, Magic 14.

Rebounds: Magic 48, Pistons 42.

Three-point shooting Magic 45.5%, Pistons 34.4%.

And the Magic won despite their two best players Wagner and Paolo Banchero not shooting a high percentage (just 13 of 35) but finding other ways to score points and impact the game. Paolo finished with 25 points, including a fortuitous 3-pointer that bounded off the back of the rim and fell through to give the Magic an insurmountable lead with 38 seconds left. He also had 12 rebounds and nine assists while Wagner had 17 points and six assists.

Against a Pistons team that prides itself on toughness, the Magic didn’t just match that physicality; they exceeded it. Wendell Carter Jr. was a beast on the interior with 17 rebounds and 14 points.

The Magic defense put the clamps on Pistons star Cade Cunningham for much of the game, and even though Cunningham still finished with 27 points, he only made 8 of 23 shots.

But let’s be clear: this series is far from over.

Detroit is still the No. 1 seed for a reason. Cunningham is still a matchup nightmare. And the Magic are still a team searching for consistent excellence.

But Saturday mattered. Not just because Orlando now leads the series 2-1.Not just because they protected home court.

But because they proved something to themselves.

They proved they can get punched in the mouth — and punch back.

After Game 2, Paolo warned about drinking the Kool-Aid. After Game 3, the Magic aren’t drinking hype.

They’re building belief.

And for the first time in this series, that belief feels sustainable.