Detroit — For the second year in a row, the Pistons felt playoff heartbreak at Little Caesars Arena, as a season that exceeded expectations came to an unflattering end.
This time, it was Game 7. And this time, the result wasn’t even close as Detroit was dominated in a 125-94 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, shutting the door on the opportunity for the franchise’s first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2008.
While feelings are still raw from a season-ending loss in Game 7, the Pistons say there’s more to a season than the end, especially in what turned out to be a 31-point end to a 60-win season.
“It’s not the effort. I’m not disappointed in these guys in the least bit. Obviously, not the way you would’ve liked it to (have) gone, but I’ll never be disappointed in effort,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said in the postgame press conference.
“(Cleveland) gave us what they had, the Cavs just outplayed us tonight, and you give them credit for it.”
Bickerstaff’s built a strong culture throughout his two years as head coach, and the reactions from the players after the game echoed that sentiment from Bickerstaff.
“Yeah, no, that game sucked,” guard Cade Cunningham said after the game. Cunningham had just 13 points in the final game of a postseason where he averaged over 29 points a game before tonight, ending a season in which he finished fifth in MVP voting.
“Being back home (we) definitely wanted to get this win for the fans, (it) reminded me of last year, losing on the home court (to the New York Knicks, in the first round), it’s not a great feeling. I hadn’t been thinking about the offseason, so my mind’s been racing now, trying to figure out what I gotta do, what it’s gonna look like.”
It definitely stings for players when losing elimination games on their own home court. For the Pistons, they lost all three home games against the Knicks in last year’s series. And now, they ended their season losing their last two home games against the Cavs.
“I have to get better in the summer, and we have to get better as a team, but we did a lot this year, but I’m focused on what I can do to not be in situation again,” Ausar Thompson said after the game. Thompson finished with five points, but also had seven rebounds and two blocks in a playoff run showing that he’s one of the best defenders in the league.
“I would love to keep playing. If that’s considered disappointment, then I guess yeah, but I wouldn’t. I don’t feel disappointed, like I said. I feel like we built a lot off the prior year, and I feel like we could continue to do that, and I could continue to do that individually as well.”
For the veterans, those who have experienced the cycle of playoff heartbreak throughout the years like Tobias Harris, a loss like this still stings especially when you know the reasons why.
“We couldn’t find our defense tonight. Early on in the game, they were spreading out, getting 3s, they were winning the 50-50 battle, rebound battle, possession game, and that’s a big catalyst to our offense, getting out of transition and running,” Harris said.
In almost every statistic, the Cavs outplayed the Pistons. Cleveland shot over 50% from the field compared to Detroit’s 35%, and they outrebounded the Pistons 50-41, including having 14 offensive rebounds compared to Detroit’s 10.
“Early in the game, we didn’t have enough momentum plays to really establish ourselves. Outside of it, and being tied up at 13 at one point, but for us overall, it was just tough and in the half court for our offense, we didn’t find our defense all night.”
“I think we just didn’t come out with the right disposition for a game seven, and that was apparent through all the areas that we sort of pride ourselves on this year,” guard Duncan Robinson said.
Robinson had started every game until a back injury kept him our of Game 5 of the Cleveland series, and he came off the bench for the last two game but stayed productive as a shooter.
“You gotta give credit to (the Cavaliers) because they just came out with a force and a pace that we weren’t able to match,” he said. “That’s just what it felt like, I don’t wanna be over reactionary, and to my point earlier, you gotta watch it and take the emotion. There’s a lot of pain that comes with losing like that right now, so you want to evaluate it with a little bit of a clear mind, but that’s what it felt like.”
Kameron Goodwill is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Pistons focus on what’s been built, despite playoff-ending lopsided loss
Reporting by Kameron Goodwill, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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