The Detroit Pistons and Cade Cunningham got their second win of the season last night against the Houston Rockets and a couple of things stood out.
The first was Jalen Green’s trash talk, which was going on throughout the game, especially after his emphatic dunk on Cunningham in the 3rd quarter.
Green couldn’t help himself and just had to bark something in Cade’s face, which earned him a technical and changed the momentum of the game, as the Pistons went on a 10-2 run afterwards that basically sealed it.
The second thing that stood out was Cade Cunningham’s lack of trash talk, which reminded me a bit of former Detroit Lions’ legend Barry Sanders.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham and the Barry Sander’s approach
For those of you who are too young to have watched him live, Barry Sanders was one of the most electric football players to ever play the game and is arguably the greatest running back of all time.
He played like a video game, often juking entire teams out of their cleats en route to scoring a touchdown.
Sanders was known for making something out of nothing, for turning sure losses into highlight reel runs. He was also known for being humble.
Sanders never celebrated after his touchdowns, but simply flipped the ball to the referee, almost like he was above the trash talk and taunting, he was too good for it.
Cade Cunningham had two such plays last night, the first when he blocked Jalen Green’s shot in the 4th quarter after locking him up and forcing him to take a bad shot. Cade just ran back to the other end and didn’t say a word even though it was a crucial play in the game and Green had been in his face all night.
Then, with about 4:30 left in the 4th quarter, Cunningham hit a huge 3-pointer to put the Pistons back up seven after Houston had chiseled the lead down to four and had the momentum. He didn’t shush the crowd or talk trash to Green, but ran back on defense and immediately took a charge on Green, which essentially sealed the game for Detroit.
After burying a three at the other end Cade Cunningham just took a charge against Jalen Green and didn't say a word. Got up and jogged the other direction. The Pistons continue to lead.
— Johnny Kane (@JohnnyKaneBSD) November 11, 2021
Much like Sanders, Cunningham didn’t taunt or dance, but just got on with it, knowing the game wasn’t over yet and the “W” was not secure.
I loved this moment of the game, as it showed a contrast between Cade Cunningham and a lot of players, as he was more concerned with getting the win than any personal glory.
I am sure that Cade will talk his own trash from time to time, but he has the kind of business first approach that Detroit fans love out of their guys.
There are times to talk trash but there are also times when simply tossing the ball to the ref is the best way to show up an opponent after a big play.