Detroit Pistons in the first quarter\u00a0<\/p>\n
Coming out\u00a0strong in the first quarter is one of the hallmarks of a good team,\u00a0and\u00a0this season,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0been a marker for contenders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The top three teams in first quarter margin are the OKC Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics, the three teams most\u00a0people\u00a0have picked to win the title this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cleveland and Denver\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0far behind, so\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0clear that getting out to a quick start is a characteristic of a quality team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Pistons finished 9th\u00a0overall in first quarter margin, which\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0terrible, but they were 1st\u00a0in 2nd\u00a0quarter margin, 5th in the 3rd\u00a0and 3rd\u00a0in the 4th, so the 1st\u00a0quarter has been their worst.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Detroit won the 2nd\u00a0quarter in game one, but it\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0enough to make up for going down eight points in the first.<\/p>\n
It also allowed something they\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0let happen again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando got into a rhythm\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nothing gets you into a game like scoring 35 points in the first quarter and getting into\u00a0a rhythm\u00a0offensively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You could tell Orlando\u2019s confidence was high for the rest of the game, which helped them through some of the few stretches where the Pistons picked up the intensity on defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando is a\u00a0team\u00a0the Pistons can break over the course of a game, but that challenge will be more difficult if they allow the Magic to get off to a good start.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even if it means taking a few hard fouls or muddying up the game a bit, the Pistons\u00a0have to\u00a0set a tone in the first quarter that things\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0going to be so easy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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