The Detroit Pistons would be 2-0 on the season if NBA games were 44 minutes, instead of 48. The Pistons collapsed twice in a double overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. After sleeping on it, here are some observations.
If you had to go to bed early and could not stay up until the end of the game, and did not check the score the next day, you might assume the Detroit Pistons were 2-0 on the NBA season. Your assumption would be wrong.
After falling apart at the end in their opener against Minnesota, the Pistons redoubled their efforts, sort of, on Saturday night. This time, they snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory two times, collapsing twice in a 128-119 double overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After sleeping on it (more like tossing and turning), here are the Excellent, Good, Not So Good and Really Not So Good observations from the game.
Excellent
Blake Griffin: In his second NBA season, Griffin shot 12.5% on three-point shots. Her certainly has improved in that department. Against Cleveland, he made 8 of 16 three-point attempts. Although known as a post player, oddly 24 of his 26 points came on threes. He really did not get many post-up opportunities. On the defensive end, ended up having to guard big Andre Drummond a lot.
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Jerami Grant: He earned his money this night. He scored 28 points and hit a clutch three-pointer that (should have) wrapped a win as it gave Detroit an eight-point lead with 4 minute, 5 seconds remaining in regulation. Nailed another ‘3’ to put Detroit up by nine in the first overtime. Also had 10 rebounds (excellent for him, as not normally a great rebounder), three blocks and two assists. Not his fault.
Fans at Little Caesars: After spectators were totally not allowed for its home preseason game, the Michigan CDC allowed 250 people to be in the stands. The crowd was composed of family and team employees for this game. At least the teams were not playing to a completely empty arena.
Good
Delon Wright: He looked like a legitimate shooting guard, scoring 19 points plus adding six rebounds and four assists with just one turnover. He and Derrick Rose were the backcourt for the end of the fourth quarter and the overtimes. Would have been excellent, but had a team worst -23.
Andre Drummond: The former Pistons starting center had a typical night, 23 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks. Untypical of him, he went 4-for-4 from the foul line late in the game, or Cleveland probably does not make it to overtime.
Jahlil Okafor: Was having a nice game until an ankle injury sidelined him. Besides six points and four rebounds in 18 minutes, he was a presence on defense, a weak point previously. When Mason Plumlee fouled out, his unavailability contributed to Detroit’s unraveling.
Not So Good
No Kids allowed: Coach Dwane Casey rode the veterans down the stretch. When the Pistons crashed and burned at the end of the fourth quarter, they had a lineup of Griffin-Plumlee-Grant-Wright-Rose. Sekou Doumbouya came in overtime when Plumlee fouled out and Svi Mykhailiuk got some time when Detroit needed some offense. But don’t blame youth for this loss.
One trick pony: Yes, Derrick Rose is a great one-on-one player and I do remember last year’s Pelicans game where he hit the game-winner. But the Cavaliers have a lot of small, quick guards to match up with him. It also simply was not his night, as he made just 4 of 15 shots. But, it seemed the Pistons entire offense in crunch time was isolating Rose to go 1-on-1 and let him do his thing. There was no Plan B, as they kept going to Rose time and again, even though Grant, Griffin and Wright were all having good shooting games.
Why?
— stuart london (@realstuartl) December 27, 2020
No lessons learned: In a game that lasted 58 minutes, starting point guard Killian Hayes played just 19 minutes. No, he was not having a great night, he only shot 1 for 7, but, still, wasn’t this the kind of game that could have been a learning experience for the 19-year-old?
Really Not So Good
Turnovers: Do not blame the team’s youth, as the younger players did not play that much. The Cavaliers, who have guards who can finish, scored 31 points off of 22 Pistons turnovers. Rose, who had the ball most of the time at the end, led with six turnovers but four other players committed three turnovers apiece. Yes, they have had little practice time, but neither has anyone else.
To the defense? Remember back to the days when the Pistons had the No.1 ranked defense in the NBA. That was Monday. Yes, it was the preseason and we were not expecting Bad Boys Pistons level defense in the regular season, but c’mon. When Detroit needed a stop, they did not get it, and that is a big reason they are 0-2.
The Collapse Parts 2 & 3: After blowing what should have been an easy win at Minnesota, the Pistons booted two more big leads to let another victory slip through their hands. They were up, 101-93 with four minutes left in the fourth, and did not score a single point the rest of the period. They then built a nine-point lead in overtime, with just 2:15 to go, and blew that one too. Inconsistent offense, turnovers and poor defense at the wrong times are to blame. But seriously, someone has to step up.
Final observation
These were two gut-wrenching losses for the Pistons. They let a sure win slip through their fingers not once, but twice.
The scary part for Detroit fans is: Minnesota and Cleveland are projected to be two of the worst teams in the NBA. If the Pistons can not beat them, with the lead going into the final minutes, who will they defeat?