DETROIT – The Detroit Pistons are talking about preparing for their first home playoff game inside Little Caesars Arena after six years, when they’ll play host to the New York Knicks.
The Pistons took home court away from the Knicks after a thrilling finish in Game 2, defeating the Knicks 100-94 on Monday (April 21) inside Madison Square Garden to tie the best-of-seven-game series at 1-1.
In the process, the Pistons’ victory snapped the longest postseason streak in the NBA at 15 games, with their last win coming against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals.
To give context, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio McDyess were on that Pistons team.
Following Monday’s victory, All-NBA and All-Star guard Cade Cunningham led the Pistons in scoring while notching a 33-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Cunningham became the first player since Blake Griffin (34 points) to score 30 or more points in a playoff game back in 2019.
The Pistons’ victory wasn’t all Cunningham. Three players, Jalen Duren (12 points and 13 rebounds), Tobias Harris (15 points and 13 rebounds), and Cunningham, had double-doubles to help the Pistons take home court advantage.
A clutch three-pointer and a late free-throw by veteran point guard Dennis Schröder helped the Pistons snap that 15-game postseason losing streak.
–> Detroit Pistons snap postseason skid behind Cunningham, Schroder’s stellar play in Game 2 thriller
With all of the momentum in their back pocket, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff talked about how the victory alongside the Detroit Tigers winning games and the Detroit Lions coming off a record season run has the city buzzing on Wednesday (April 23) ahead of the NFL draft.
“It’s been fun for me to learn. Like, having not spent a ton of time here in this area when we got here, obviously the Lions were rolling.
So it’s been a fun experience to see how interested people are and how excited they are about their teams.
Credit to all the organizations for building that momentum and putting together teams that are competitive, that bring a winning attitude, feel like they carry the same type of chip on their shoulder and attitude of grittiness and toughness that the fans have really gotten behind, and, you know, I don’t go out a lot in public, but the times that I’ve been out like people are appreciative of what we’re doing and we’re glad to be a part of it”
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
One of the keys to the Pistons’ success in Game 2 was physicality and playing with aggression, as they got pushed around in the fourth quarter of Game 1, as the Knicks went on a 21-0 run to blow the game open.
After trailing by eight at the start of the fourth quarter, the Knicks went on a 33-14 run to steal Game 1 and win 123-112.
The Pistons led by as much as 15 points on Game 2 and once again took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter behind Cunningham playing with pace and space while literally running the show as he attacked the rim with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.
Unlike Game 1, when the Pistons got blitzed in the fourth quarter, the Pistons held an eight-point lead once again, but this time held on due to the clutchness of Schröder.
After the game, the New York media and head coach Tom Thibodeau complained about the officiating.
The Pistons shot 28-34 from the free-throw line, while the Knicks went 16-19.
The more aggressive team usually wins the whistle, as the Knicks guards over the last two games were foul-bating and flopping to try to get calls.
It worked for Brunson, as he was able to foul guard Ausar Thompson out of the game, but the Pistons held on, which brought joy to Bickerstaff.
“I mean, we’re happy with the way the games are being called. We can survive physicality, so we’ve got no issue with it. When you look at the comparison between the guys who are handling the ball the majority of the time, their guy is leading the league right now in playoff free-throw attempts.
You know, Cade is ninth at this point, so I think the fouls are being called how they’re being called. But again, like, I love the whistle, you know, let the referees keep calling the game the way they’ve been calling it, and it gives us an opportunity to defend, and our guys can play through it.”
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
The playoffs bring a level of physicality, and teams who survive the physical play usually win in the end.
“I think our guys have done a great job of maintaining their composure. We haven’t changed how we play, like Cade drives to the basket as much as anybody in this league.
Cade draws as much contact as anybody in this league, and you know, he’s still ninth on the list of free throw attempts, you know, in the playoffs so far.
So, you know, we talk about a guy who deserves more whistles. It’s easy to see, you know, why Cade, you know, gets the contact, but he plays through it. And again, that’s a credit to his toughness on the character.”
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
Cunningham’s performance was night and day between Game 1 and Game 2. His minutes ticked up in the second game, some of the most he’s played in a game this season.
Although his assists were down, his playmaking ability was on point, as he aggressively set up teammates like Paul Reed for easy baskets.
“He’s the guy, and it’s point blank. Guys like him don’t come around often, but you need a guy like him to be a championship contender, and so we’re fortunate enough that we have him here.
You know, obviously, we’ve got work to do, and we’ve got to continue to build and continue to grow, but the first thing that you have to do is you have to find that guy, and Cade is him.”
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
The fans will be pumped for Game 3 as playoff basketball hasn’t been played nor seen in Detroit for six years.
It’s been 17 years since Pistons fans have witnessed a win from their hometown team, so to have one coming up with the ambition to keep homecourt advantage in their back pocket.
For the Pistons to win Game 3, they’ll need their role players to step up, including Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Malik Beasley, who hasn’t had a breakout game yet.
When asked about the expected energy inside LCA on Thursday (April 24), Beasley said he’s excited to see and feel the atmosphere.
It’s been said that role players play better at home, and Beasley can expect to shoot the ball better.
He was caught saying “Playoff basketball” a few times in the first two games. He should bounce back once he gets established beyond the arc and gets accustomed to the contact from the Knicks’ physicality.
“We’re a physical team. We have a great, grand identity, and, you know, I just let him I know for a long time the ref, so just talking to him, let him know that, you know, we’re a physical team, and I don’t think I should get cheap calls of just, you know, trying to not let him get the ball, or things like that, but it’s all good basketball.
Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley
Beasley said the team will look to shift into another gear in front of the LCA crowd, especially after taking home-court advantage.
“We’re ready to shift into another gear. We know we have homecourt right now, so we want to take advantage of that.
We don’t want to come out and just think it’s going to be easy. We have to be the bigger dogs and make sure we come out ready to play for the first punch.”
Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley
Regarding adjustments, Thibodeau will find ways to get Karl-Anthony Towns involved more, as Harris is defending him.
Towns went scoreless in the fourth quarter of Game 2, so the Pistons should look to get Duren and Reed on him to at least have him make tougher shots. He is an NBA All-Star Weekend 3-Point Contest champion.
Regarding what the Pistons did differently between the first two games of the series, Duren said they were able to close out quarters better and be more decisive.
“Well, for me, watching in person, we were more assertive and decisive in terms of the looks that we wanted to get, especially closing out the quarter.
I don’t know if it was the last five, but I was able to get a lob. I think Cade got downhill a couple of times. DS (Dennis Schröder) Schröder got downhill a couple of times.
I think we were just more decisive than what we wanted to get. And on the defensive end, we were able to put together some stops, scramble a little bit, find shooters on the perimeter, close it up, and close it out.”
Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren
Cunningham and Duren have connected for 61 alley-oops during the 2024-25 season; from the looks of it, they’re just getting started.
Throughout Wednesday’s presser, players and coaches expressed excitement about the city and its fans, who will be seeing an NBA home playoff game for the first time in a long time.
Duren said the winning culture amongst the city’s sports teams brings a sense of togetherness.
“I think the city, honestly, is like, it’s a sense of togetherness. You know, the fans root for all the sports teams heavy. They show a lot of love.
And I think sports teams root for each other. Unfortunately, I haven’t been to a Red Wings game. I wanted to, I wanted to, I wanted to get the one, but I haven’t, but I will get to one. I’ve been to a Lions game. Their games are crazy, but it’s a great city, and they deserve everything that they’re given.”
Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren
The goal from the Pistons seems to be to wear down and frustrate the Knicks with their physicality.
“That’s the goal, which is to continuously do what we do, play Pistons basketball, and that’s playing hard every night, being physical, being scrappy, playing with a sense of urgency and grit.”
When it comes to playoff basketball, every possession matters. So it is very important to watch film and grow, which this young Pistons team has done after two games.
Yes, they’re young and inexperienced, but playing the game in the postseason builds experience.
“If you see the difference from Game 1 and Game 2, in everybody coach had a saying about experience, that experience can be, you know, applied.
It doesn’t take long to apply experience, you know. I mean, it’s just a matter of when you can apply and how you can apply it to the game. So I play as a group, even though we’re young.
We got a lot of guys who haven’t had that experience, that as we go through different scenarios, different situations, that we’ll continue to add it to our book and learn.”
Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren
Look for the Pistons to continue to build on their recent success against the New York Knicks in front of a raucous crowd inside LCA on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m.
