In a thrilling Game 5 showdown at Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Pistons proved that old-school basketball still wins games. Behind a historic scoring performance from Cade Cunningham and a monster rebounding night from Ausar Thompson, the Pistons kept their playoff hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over the Orlando Magic.

Cunningham etched his name in the franchise record books, setting a new playoff scoring mark for the Pistons. But it wasn't just his scoring that made the difference—it was his relentless attack at the rim. The All-Star guard drew 14 free-throw attempts and converted every single one of them, showing the kind of clutch performance that defines playoff basketball.

"I've missed too many free throws this series, so I definitely had to lock in on that," Cunningham admitted after the game. And lock in he did, going a perfect 14-for-14 from the charity stripe.

Thompson, meanwhile, channeled his inner Dennis Rodman with a dominant rebounding performance. The energetic forward pulled down 15 boards—just one shy of his career high—giving the Pistons crucial second-chance opportunities and controlling the glass on both ends of the floor.

But here's where the game truly turned: the free-throw line. The Pistons drew a series-high 26 fouls from the Magic, earning 35 trips to the stripe. They cashed in on 80% of those opportunities, adding 28 points to their total in a game they won by just seven.

The contrast was stark on the other end. Orlando attempted 30 free throws—their fewest since Game 1—but made just 16. That 53.3% shooting from the line was their worst performance of the entire season. In a game decided by single digits, those missed opportunities proved costly.

It's tempting to say the Pistons won simply because of the free-throw disparity, but that would ignore the bigger picture. This was a game where the Magic got an all-time performance from Paolo Banchero (a playoff career-high 45 points) and shot an uncharacteristic 44.7% from three-point range (17-for-38). Despite all that, the Pistons found a way to win by returning to their identity: physical, aggressive, and relentless.

For fans watching at Little Caesars Arena, it felt like a throwback to the Pistons' glory days—not the championship teams of the 2000s, but the gritty, defensive-minded squads that made their living by imposing their will on opponents. Cunningham and Thompson embody that spirit, and their performances in Game 5 showed that Detroit basketball is alive and well.