Photos by Aaron J. Thornton
Between the physicality of the game, and chants of “Deeetrooooit Basketbaaaall” and “**** you, Brunson,” the spirit of the Bad Boys and the Bad Boys 2.0 was in full effect at Little Ceasars Arena for Game 3 of the series between the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks.
It was an unseasonably hot, 84-degree day on Thursday, April 24, as the Pistons hosted their first home playoff basketball game in the city in more than six years. Coming off the Pistons’ first playoff win since 2008 during game two of the series in New York, the only thing hotter than the weather outside was the roar of the fans inside when the team’s All-Star guard Cade Cunningham has his name introduced as the starting point guard and nearly 19,000 fans erupted in cheers.
Despite the energized atmosphere both inside the stadium and around the city, the Pistons started slowly, and let a late push fizzle away, dropping the home contest 118-116, and the Knicks managed to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“It’s frustrating for a bunch of different reasons. I thought in the second half we played well enough to win game. There’s some procedural things that we’ve got questions on,” Pistons Coach JB Bickerstaff said after the game.
Most notably, Bickerstaff mentioned a questionable call that looked on the court as though Brunson caught an inbounds pass in the frontcourt, then dribbled the ball into the backcourt, which would usually be called a backcourt violation. Instead, NBA rules officials explained, within the last two minutes of the game, a player’s momentum can carry him into the backcourt on an inbound pass without a violation, as long as the player doesn’t first establish the possession in the frontcourt. He also mentioned a late whistle on a play where Detroit was attempting to foul Brunson, but the call was delayed and it cost the Pistons multiple seconds off the clock down the stretch.
“So, there are some things procedurally that I have questions about, and I’ll be interested to hear some answers,” he said.
The Pistons fought and clawed for much of the fourth quarter after finding themselves trailing by 11 points, 102-91, with just under seven minutes remaining. Reserve guard Dennis Schroder and Cunningham helped fuel a comeback that brought the game to within three points, 104-101, with 4:41 remaining, but the Knicks outpunched the home team to stretch, despite the Pistons keeping it close.
Although disappointed with the loss, Pistons Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised the team, but even more so, he talked about the electric nature of the crowd and how excited he was to see the team play in front of such a faithful and dedicated group of Detroit fans.
“This job and being a part of this organization – there’s a connectedness to the fanbase, and the fanbase here has been and has seen the best of the best and has high expectations. They love the Pistons. So, to be a part of that is special. To be a part of that is unique. The fanbase is so connected to its team and cares so much about it. Just to be a part of that itself means a lot and it’s not something I take for granted,” Bickerstaff said.
“We all try to do our best to get the most out of it. So, we all came together and we’re talking about identity and core values, understanding the city and the history of the city, and this team and organization played a huge part of who we were going to be, how were going to play, and all of those things.”
Cunningham led the Pistons with 24 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds, while Tim Hardaway Jr. started off hot, but cooled down late and also finished with 21 points. Schroder led the second unit with 18 points off the bench. For New York, Towns (31 points) and Brunson (30 points) combined to score 61 points, while Brunson added nine assists, and the two also pulled down a combined 15 rebounds.
Slow spells and scoreless stretches defined the game for Detroit. The Pistons opened the game missing their first six shots and falling behind 8-1 after Knicks’ center Karl-Anthony Towns hit a deep three-pointer from the top of the key.
But hot shooting and scrappiness kept things close in the first 12 minutes. Hardaway Jr., who made his first three shots from behind the arc, scored six straight points in one possession after sinking three free throws (following a flagrant foul from Knick guard Jalen Brunson) and a corner three after retaining possession. That knotted the score at 20-20 with just over five minutes remaining in the first. The Knicks pushed the lead back up to close the quarter with a six-point lead, 33-27. Despite shooting just 32% from the floor in the opening quarter, the Pistons shot 5-of-11 from three (46%) and 6-of-8 from FT (75%) to keep the score close, with Hardaway scoring 12 points and Cunningham adding nine in the opening frame.
The second quarter opened with the teams exchanging baskets and trying to calm down from a chippy opening quarter that saw 10 personal fouls, three technical fouls, and Brunson’s flagrant foul.
When things did settle, the Pistons were able to take their first lead of the game and stretch the lead on the following possession after Hardaway Jr. continued his hot shooting from deep. His back-to-back triples gave the Pistons a four-point lead, 45-41, with 5:41 left in the second.
But the Pistons hit a cold spell to close the quarter. Brunson, Towns and OG Anunoby hit key buckets over the final three minutes of the half to give the Knicks a 13-point lead, 66-53, heading into intermission.
The Pistons’ grit was put to the test and the young, playoff-inexperienced squad answered the call. They opened the third quarter on a 14-5 run, as all five starters (Cunningham, Hardaway, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren, and Tobias Harris) chipped in buckets to pull the score to within one point, 70-69. Two possessions later, the crowd erupted with “MVP” chants as Cunningham stepped to the line to sink a pair of free throws that once again brought it to a one-point game, 72-71. But the Knicks put together another run, led by an impressive two-man game between Brunson and Towns, to swell the lead once again. By the end of the third period, New York was up by 10, 83-73.
After the game, Hardaway said of the fans’: “We’re gonna need that same mindset here and you on Sunday,” when the Pistons and Knicks square off at LCA for a decisive Game 4.