What went wrong with the Detroit Pistons final possession against Charlotte Hornets
The Detroit Pistons had the final possession and a chance to beat the Charlotte Hornets but squandered it away without getting a shot off.
A lot has been said about how the Detroit Pistons allowed another late-game opportunity go awry, yet again not getting a shot off against the Charlotte Hornets. That’s eight games in a row the Pistons have lost to the Hornets.
Detroit (6-12) lost in heartbreaking fashion, 102-101, with fans understandably upset. The film explains that it was simply a poor play call and is a credit to Charlotte coach James Borrego for sending PJ Washington to help twice.
His defensive decision in the first two games of the season series have swung the game in the Hornets’ favor. Charlotte (7-12) used a fullcourt pressure in the second half in the first meeting, a 103-100 Pistons loss, to dictate the tempo.
Related Story. 3 takeaways from Pistons 102-101 loss to Hornets. light
Late in Wednesday’s game it was Washington’s length that caused issues. He had a key block on Derrick Rose, who had several drives turn into blocks and ill-advised shots. But for the final possession it was Miles Bridges who substituted in for Washington.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey did not take responsibility for the late-game blunders. He acknowledged that Detroit needed to go quicker, especially after burning its final timeout and not being able to draw something up with 7.9 seconds left.
That led to Blake Griffin becoming the playcaller and a candid Griffin offered insight as to what happened and the decision making.
Now let’s take a look at the two sets the Pistons ran and potential improvements going forward.
Setting up the Pistons final possession, Washington missed a 3-point shot that was cleared by Drummond. Detroit took its final timeout at the hashmark near the Pistons bench with 10.2 seconds remaining.