Pistons-Magic is an ugly series, but it could get even uglier

The other day, I stumbled upon an interesting stat. It has gone up just a hair since then, but as of yesterday, the average offensive rating this postseason was 111.0. That is the lowest it has been since 2019.

As the tweet above mentions, a big reason for this is the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic first-round series. Honestly, I shouldn't even call this a playoff series. It looks more like two teams going 12 rounds in a boxing ring.

In this series, both teams have an offensive rating under 102.0. And all the marquee players in this matchup (Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, and Franz Wagner) are shooting 46.9% from the floor.

If you like offense, this series has not been for you. But believe it or not, there is a way that it somehow gets much, much worse.

Why you should be rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Unless the Pistons pull off a minor miracle, it looks like the Magic will be advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Since they are the eighth-seed, they will face the winner of the four/five slot.

That will either be the Cleveland Cavaliers or Toronto Raptors. I am still have the mindset that the Cavaliers have the clear edge here, but with the series tied at two games a piece, it is anyone's game.

If you are rooting for offense, you'd better hope that I'm right and the Cavaliers pull this one off. The Raptors are cut from the same defense-first cloth as the Pistons (5th in defensive rating), but their offense is even worth (15th in offensive rating, the Pistons were 10th).

We don't even know if the Raptors will have Immanuel Quickly (who has yet to play this postseason) available to them for that potential series. He is by far and away the best shooter/spacer in their preferred starting lineup (37.4% from three on 6.8 attempts per game). Without him, their halfcourt offense somehow becomes even more gunky. In Game 4, the Raptors scored just 14 points in the first quarter.

On top of that, we won't even have the allure of Cade Cunningham to keep us entertained. His calm demeanor and effortless manipulation of the floor makes him a fan favorite and an objectively aesthetically-pleasing watch. His 2021 Draft Class colleague, Scottie Barnes, has had the better postseason, but his bashful approach doesn't appease to the casual observer in the same way.

The overall offensive rating isn't guaranteed to spike just because the Cavaliers advance. But at the very least, fans will get to enjoy the pick-and-roll brilliance of James Harden. Plus, Donovan Mitchell is one of the all-time great postseason performers (seventh in career points per game), and he is surely to erupt for one or two monster games in the series.

For me, I think there is a ton to be intrigued about with a potential Magic/Raptors series. Both of them are likely to get molly-whopped by the winner of Boston Celtics/New York Knicks, but I'll have a good time enjoying the war of sticks and stones in the meantime.

However, I know that I have an acquired taste and that high-scoring, fast-paced shootouts will always reign supreme. That's why it is in everyone's best interest if the Cavaliers figure things out and put the stingy Raptors to bed.

More NBA news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow