The Detroit Pistons went into Madison Square Garden and got a gritty win in game five to extend the series back to Detroit.
They didn’t make it easy, but if you think winning an elimination game on the road is ever going to be easy, spoiler alert, it won’t.
The entire Pistons’ starting five was good in this game with a lot of the focus going towards Ausar Thompson, who was amazing on both ends, and Cade Cunningham, who took over the game in the 4th quarter and sealed the victory (eventually, my god that last minute was LONG).
Tobias Harris just did what he’s done for most of the series, which is provide stability, consistency and tough defense on Karl-Anthony Towns. He hasn’t gotten a ton of attention, but he’s arguably been the Pistons’ second-most important guy in this series and all season.
The funny thing is that Harris came to the Pistons with the reputation for disappearing in the big moments, something he unfairly garnered after he scored zero points in an elimination game last season against these very Knicks.
That wasn’t the case last night, as Harris poured in 17 points and added eight rebounds, four blocks, two steals and two assists.
He made huge plays on both ends while playing a team-high 43 minutes, several times getting a bucket when the Pistons most needed it.
Don’t look for nuance when you are talking to fans in Philly, as everyone is a hero or a bum, often in the same game, so it wasn’t surprising that they made Harris their scapegoat after one bad game.
And it was just one game, as the playoff narrative around Harris has always been incorrect and he continues to prove it.
Tobias Harris is the model of consistency
When the Pistons signed Tobias Harris some of the experts weren’t happy, but it made sense, as they knew exactly what they were getting, and it was exactly what this young team needed: Stability.
Harris has a calming effect on the young players and has all season. But let’s not act like this guy is just some veteran cheering his team from the bench, he can play and has provided amazing consistency in the regular season and playoffs.
This year, Harris is averaging 16 points, eight rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in the playoffs.
His career playoff numbers are 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds and that’s over 66 playoff games, so not a small sample size.
If you are wondering, Harris is averaging 16.1 points per game for his career with 6.2 rebounds, so he’s actually been slightly better in the playoffs.
You can pencil Harris in for 16 per game whether it’s the regular or postseason, and we knew that when he signed with Detroit. What I didn’t know was that he was going to play such tough defense on Karl-Anthony Towns, grab so many rebounds or come up with so many key steals and blocks.
It’s hilarious that the Philly fans took one game and balanced it against an entire career of consistent production. We won’t take it for granted in Detroit, as Harris’ impact on this team has been obvious from day one and he continues to come up big.