The Pistons needed a big performance from their superstar point guard to stay alive in Game 5, and Cade Cunningham delivered. Faced with the Pistons' usual daunting lack of spacing, Cade took it upon himself to carry the Pistons offense and finished with a franchise playoff record 45 points. He wisely realized early on that looking to score aggressively would lead to the best output for himself and the team.
Cade Cunningham did what the Pistons needed
Cunningham had just 5 assists in the game, a noteworthy decrease from his regular season average of almost 10 per game. But his emphasis on scoring rather than playmaking proved to be the correct choice. He's received little scoring help in this series, even from teammates who made offensive leaps this season.
Instead of trying to forcefully involve his teammates, which has led to some unfortunate turnovers in other games, Cade simplified the game by attacking advantageous matchups to score himself. And when he's hitting his shot, just about any defender in the NBA is an advantageous matchup. No one on the Magic was able to defend him without fouling, as he finished the game shooting 13-of-23 from the field, 5-of-8 from three, and a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line.
Cade knew he would have room to attack the Magic after Franz Wagner, his usual defender, was unable to suit up. Orlando was instead forced to rely on the inexperienced Jamal Cain to guard Cade, and Cain was simply unprepared to do that for a whole game. Although Cain defended Cade admirably in the fourth quarter of Game 4, it's a tall ask for a recently converted two-way player to slow down an All-NBA performer in a huge game.
Cade needs to be ready to take over if needed
Regardless of the matchup or scheme that the Magic threw at him, Cade was able to have his way in Game 5. He scored on a variety of defenders and had counters for every defensive adjustment. If he wants to win this series, he'll need to be prepared to carry a similar burden when necessary in upcoming games.
Even in Game 5, Cade was at his worst when he became passive and tried to force passes into tight windows. Of course, Cade will need to be prepared to find teammates if the Magic send hard doubles at him, but he needs to maintain his killer instinct as a scorer for the Pistons to be at their best. Despite the Magic's success disrupting the Pistons' normal offensive flow, there's nothing they can do to stop Cade when he's got the proper scoring mindset and gets into a rhythm.