The Detroit Pistons lost a heated matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves last night that flipped after a 2nd-quarter brawl changed the game.
After Ron Holland II stripped Naz Reid of the ball, Reid got upset for some reason and started wagging his finger in Holland’s face. Holland didn’t like that and said so, and then Donte DiVincenzo jumped in and escalated things physically before all hell broke loose.
In the end, five players and two coaches were ejected, and the already shorthanded Pistons were left with 10 total players, which they weren’t able to overcome as the T’Wolves eventually wore them down and pulled away late.
The problems really started the play before, when Isaiah Stewart and DiVincenzo had words that led to a shove and a technical for Stewart.
The refs penalized everyone involved, which did seem unfair to the Pistons, as they didn’t start it and weren’t the ones who escalated it physically. Had I been a ref, I would have T’d up Reid and Holland and tossed DiVincenzo, who was the real instigator here.
The ejections clearly hurt the Pistons more, as they were already missing Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris, which is unfortunate, as Detroit was up by double digits at the time and looked as if they might be able to pull out another unlikely win.
We’ll never know, as the ejections cost them the game, and this is a problem. Fans focused on the brawl, on Stewart beating his chest walking out of the arena and whether he deserved to be ejected, but that's not really the point.
He already had a technical foul in the books, so it was an automatic ejection for Stewart, who should have never been involved and whose antics are costing the Pistons.
I love Stewart. I love the way he plays defense. I love the way he backs his teammates. But Stew has to chill or he’s going to end up costing the Pistons a playoff game.
It's a difficult one, as you don't want to rein in the passion Stewart plays with, as it's one of his biggest attributes and a big part of the team chemistry, but he has a reputation with both the refs and other players that he has to acknowledge and deal with.
Isaiah Stewart has a reputation with the refs
Fair or not, Stewart is never going to get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a fight.
If he’s involved, he’s going to get a technical at least, and after racking up two more last night, he’s dangerously close to getting himself suspended, which might happen anyway after the league reviews the film.
Detroit is fighting for their lives right now and need every player they can get, so while you might applaud Stewart for not backing down, it’s the teammates left battling it out on the floor who have been let down.
Hats off to those guys like night, as they continued to play hard until they had nothing left in the tank, but Stewart (and to a lesser degree, Holland and Sasser) has to be smarter in a game where they couldn’t afford to lose any more players.
You can blame the refs, but at this point, Stewart knows that he’s a marked man and can’t get involved in this kind of stuff with impunity.
Isaiah Stewart has a reputation with the other players
Opponents also know this and know that all they have to do is get into Stew’s head a little and there’s a good chance they’ll get some free points out of it.
DiVincenzo goaded Stewart into the first encounter, and he probably did deserve a slap, but Stewart has to be smarter and just walk away.
Play physically, yes. Don’t back down, sure, but he has to cut out all of the stuff after plays that is getting him technical fouls, costing his team points and last night, the game.
Opponents are going to keep coming at him and talking non-stop garbage to try and take him out of his game or get him thrown out, which the Pistons can’t afford, especially in the playoffs.
I do worry about the possibility of playing the Pacers in the first round, as they are a team the Pistons have already had beef with this season. I really don't want to watch BBall Paul in the playoffs (no offense to him) because Stewart couldn't keep his cool.
Detroit can’t lose their composure for the sake of standing on business, as in the end, the business is basketball, and they can’t play it from the locker room.