For those that observed Darius Garland’s 18-point fourth quarter heatwave on February 5, 2025 as it occurred, it felt safe to assume that enough must-have buckets were secured to keep the Detroit Pistons out of grasp on the scoreboards. Upon realizing that his pesky Central Division foes had one spirited run left in them, Garland merely pivoted to a thrilling Plan B: pulling up from a spot Detroit’s defense simply couldn’t reach. No. 1 across the Association in both crunchtime efficiency (59.5 percent on 37 attempts to date) and high-volume pull-up shooters, the recently-named All-Star prepares to test his limits, racing the length of the floor with five seconds remaining. Forced into a stop-and-launch from the Pistons’ midcourt logo, Garland parlays the momentum of his elusive misdirection dribble into a game-winning 31-footer, leaving even Detroit’s road crowd in an audibly-stunned appreciation. In what ultimately marked the second-consecutive buzzer-beating heartbreaker for Motor City, Garland helped guide the Cleveland Cavaliers’ success, swishing in 25 points (on 8-of-18 shooting), three rebounds, five assists, one block, and four 3-pointers. · Feb 6, 2025