The Orlando Magic might pull the biggest shocker of the playoffs, taking a 3-1 lead over the Detroit Pistons, and leading the pack was Desmond Bane.

It was the first time that Bane had been in the playoffs without the Memphis Grizzlies jersey, and his former teammates showed up in his support. On Monday, they were once again together, but the circumstances were different. Jackson and Morant sat courtside, cheering as Bane take on the Pistons.

"It's special," Bane told reporters when he was asked about his former Grizzlies teammates attending the game. "Those are guys that I spent five years with, started my career with, and made a lot of memories with."

"So I'm super thankful that they came out to support. It's a friendship that'll last forever. Those are guys who mean a lot to me. I'm thankful that they pulled up to support."

Last year, during the same time, Bane, Ja Morant, and Jaren Jackson Jr. were facing future champions, the OKC Thunder, in the first round of the Western Conference.

Bane played the first five years of his career with the Grizzlies before they sent him to Orlando in a blockbuster trade for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony. The package also included a few draft picks. 

After years, Bane is lifting the Magic in the playoffs, Jackson Jr. plays for the Utah Jazz, and Morant’s tenure in Memphis appears to be over.

The former teammates clearly have each other’s backs, and this was evident in the support shown by Morant and Jackson.

Desmond Bane leads the Orlando Magic in Game 4 win over the Pistons

With his former teammates cheering him, Bane was also the best player for the Magic on Monday. After leading his team in Game 3, Bane stepped up again.

He scored a team-high 22 points and five rebounds, while making 7-of-18 shots from the field. He also shot five of 10 shots from beyond the arc.

The former Grizzlies star also came clutch for the Magic. Bane made a 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining in the game to give Orlando a six-point lead and took the game away from the Pistons.

Aside from Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero also contributed with 19 and 18 points, respectively.

From the Pistons, veteran Tobias Harris and Cade Cunningham led the team with 20 and 25 points, respectively. Harris missed all of his 3-point shots, and Cunningham missed 16 of his 23 attempted shots.

Do you think the Pistons will be able to extend the series with the Game 5 win, or are they going home on Wednesday? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Utsav Gupta