Fans who bought tickets for the Detroit Pistons vs. Milwaukee Bucks were hoping to see an epic finale, but instead got treated to a game that bordered on ridiculous.
With nothing at stake, both teams rested most of their key players, and the ones who did play made early cameos and headed to the bench.
Context means everything, as we saw Pistons run out similar lineups over the last five seasons, but this year, instead of tanking, Detroit is resting their guys for the playoffs.
The game featured little defense and a whole lot of uncontested 3-point shots, as the two teams combined for 103 attempts from long range. There were a couple of stretches where I wondered if either team was going to even attempt a 2-point shot ever again.
But it was an entertaining enough ending to what has been a dream season for the Pistons and did feature a few things that fans wanted to see as the team gets ready for its first playoff appearance in six years.
Malik Beasley and Simone Fontecchio heating up
Coach JB Bickerstaff wanted to give Malik Beasley a chance at the 3-point crown, and he nearly got there, hitting 7-of-11 from long range in just 19 minutes before settling in with a cup of coffee on the bench.
Unfortunately, Anthony Edwards hit seven of his own in Minnesota’s win, so ended up besting Beasley by just one 3-pointer for the season, finishing with 320 to Beasley’s 319.
It was still an impressive and historic season for Beasley who put himself on a list with some of the greatest shooters of all time. More importantly, he’s back in a groove after a brief 5-game slump in which he shot just 31 percent from 3-point range.
Beasley is vital to the Pistons’ attack, so it’s good to have him rolling heading into the playoffs.
Same with Simone Fontecchio, who knocked down four 3-pointers of his own in the finale and looked comfortable doing it. The Pistons are 11-5 this season when Fontecchio scores in double digits, so he could be an X-Factor in the playoffs if he comes off the bench making shots.
Bobi Klintman doing stuff
Rookie Bobi Klintman has gotten little run this season after starting it on the injured list and then playing most of it in the G-League.
He showed off the full skillset last night, as he created off the bounce, made some nice passes and cuts and knocked down a couple of 3-point shots.
He finished with 15 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals, including one that helped the Pistons send the game to overtime.
Klintman turning into a rotation player would be huge for the Pistons, as they need depth at power forward and have no replacement for Tobias Harris in house.
The permeating culture
Detroit didn’t win the game, and ultimately it didn’t matter in the least, but that didn’t stop their players from giving max effort until the final whistle.
After years of watching the Pistons go through the motions of tanking late in the season, it was refreshing to see young guys out there trying to win the game even though they had little reason to.
I also loved seeing Cade Cunningham cheering on and coaching up his teammates from the bench. He was genuinely excited for them and as invested in getting a win as they were.
This is how you build a culture, as it has to permeate from the top down to the final guy on the bench. The Pistons are building that and let’s hope it serves them well against the Knicks in the first round.