Detroit Pistons fans won’t soon forget the Avocado Game

After suffering an allergic reaction to an avocado prior to the Detroit Pistons match up against Dallas, Andre Drummond put on a show.

Maybe fans of the Detroit Pistons won’t remember what was – but what could have been. Leading up to tip-off of the Pistons match up against the Mavericks in Mexico City, Andre Drummond‘s status was up in the air after suffering an allergic reaction to an avocado, causing his eye to swell up.

Twitter was quick to jump on this, with multiple tweets deeming this the “Avocado Game”, in hopes that he may provide fans with a stellar performance. If Drummond were to put up another 20 point 20 rebound game, everyone would forget about the Flu Game.

Just about 20 minutes before game time – Drummond was cleared to play, and the Avocado Game was officially a go.

In the first half he came out firing on all cylinders. Through the first quarter he had recorded 12 points and 4 rebounds on 90 percent shooting, and by the end of the half he had upped his total to 20 points. It was at this point that people realized we were no longer dealing with a meme – the Avocado game was real.

Here were some of the reactions.

Also one from the man behind this story.

Not just a meme – but an entire account dedicated to Drummond’s newly anointed nickname; Avocadre.

https://twitter.com/Avocadre/status/1205446601474490373?s=20

It was both hilarious and remarkable to watch. Hilarious because Drummond was dominating the Mavericks big men down low with practically one functioning eye, and remarkable because we were seeing the post dominant big man that we knew we had. Drummond was unleashing.

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Then the second half begins and everything seemed to stop. The Mavericks went on a 42-11 run spanning from the end of the second quarter going well into the third, and Drummond wasn’t getting any touches.

After shooting just 5 for 21 in the first half from three-point range, that was for some reason the continued approach in the second half. While admittedly scripted plays for Drummond are seldom the route that Dwane Casey takes, the fact that he received limited offensive touches in the second half felt critical.

Feed your leading scorer. Feed your hot hand. His post moves and his finishing abilities were on full display, and it was discouraging for fans to see the Pistons failing to utilize him. He’s in a contract year – he deserves to show his worth.

At the end of the day, fans will always have that first half. The half where the Avocado Game was real. He ended the night with 23 points and 15 rebounds, which is still a respectable line.

What could have been if Drummond had been given more scoring opportunities in the second half? The world may never know, but the Avocado Game was certainly fun while it lasted.