Detroit Pistons: Jalen Green’s trash talk “all for the cameras.”
The Detroit Pistons got the last laugh on Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets, but that didn’t stop Green from talking his trash.
A lot has been made of Green’s talk leading up to the first regular season matchup with Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons, as the rookie has let everyone know that he thinks he was disrespected by not being taken number one, as if being the second pick in the NBA Draft is a huge insult.
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Green tried to blow this off as “just another game” but it was obvious from the tip that he wanted to get the best of Cade Cunningham.
Green ended up scoring 23 points to Cade’s 20, but Cunningham will take the “W” every time, especially when it was Green’s trash talk that changed the momentum in the game.
Detroit Pistons: Jalen Green’s talk changed the game
Jalen Green had an emphatic dunk on Cade Cunningham in the third quarter and he made sure everyone in the arena knew about it.
Green let out a war cry after the dunk, immediately turned and yelled something in Cade Cunningham’s face, which earned him a technical foul.
Two things didn’t happen again after this moment: Jalen Green didn’t score another point and the Houston Rockets never had another lead.
The Pistons promptly went on a 10-2 run after Green’s technical, taking the lead never to relinquish it, though the Rockets did get close in the 4th quarter.
This play was really symbolic of the two players, as Green was trying to go at Cunningham all night, hoping to get that highlight reel play, while Cade kept his mouth shut and just took care of business, securing the “W” for his team with a couple of clutch baskets late in the 4th quarter.
After the game, Cade Cunningham had this to say about Green’s incessant talk:
Cunningham on tonight's trash talk. "Nothing that I heard tonight held any real weight to me. It was all for cameras. I wasn't tripping on anything, was just trying to play the game."
— Offseason O (@omarisankofa) November 11, 2021
This summarizes it pretty well. While Green was more worried about the one-on-one matchup, Cade was more worried about the win.
Congratulations to Jalen Green, as he got the big dunk that will be featured in all the highlights, but Cade Cunningham got the win, which is all he cares about.
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