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The Detroit Pistons' playoff run is not over yet after defeating the New York Knicks 106-103 in Game 5. After a heartbreaking Game 4 loss ending on a controversial no-call by the officials, the Pistons scraped their way to another tough road playoff win.
Detroit has found impressive comfort this year while playing at Madison Square Garden. The Pistons have won four of their five games there, regular season and postseason included. Their resilient ‘never say die' mentality has been the staple of their identity, and it resonates even more on the road. Detroit's head coach J.B. Bickerstaff commented on the grit displayed in away games by his unit during the postgame media session.
“Our guys feed off of the energy of the opponent's crowd, talking sh**, making noise. They embrace the chaos, and they're comfortable there, and not everybody is that way,” Bickerstaff explained. “Some people need the support of their home crowd. Our guys embrace the chaos, and they're extremely comfortable and can play their best.”
The high-powered first-round matchup continues to get interesting with the series at 3-2. A major talking point of the series has been the back-and-forth physicality between both teams. The chippy nature continued with lots of fouls, pushing, trash talking, and aggression. Bickerstaff weighed in on how the physicality has impacted the battle through the first five games.
“It's one of those things that's just completely out of your control. I hate to make this series about refereeing and the officials because it's not,” Bickerstaff expressed. “This is a series about two highly competitive teams that are battling their tails off, trying to do whatever it takes to win. The physicality I believe is a good thing for the game. It's a good thing for us. But this series isn't about the officials. This series is about two competitive teams playing great basketball against each other.”
Breakout performance by Ausar Thompson
The Pistons' playoff success has been anchored by the production of several different players. Game 5 will be remembered as the breakthrough night by forward Ausar Thompson. The 6-foot-8 wing put together his best performance of the series on Tuesday, scoring 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the fiend and grabbing seven rebounds.
The most useful contribution came at the defensive end from Thompson. Bickerstaff matched Thompson against All-Star guard Jalen Brunson the majority of the night. The second-year wing more than held his own by limiting Brunson to 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting when matched up against each other.
Foul trouble has limited a lot of Thompson's production and ability to stay on the floor. Despite having five fouls, Bickerstaff leaned on Thompson's defensive prowess and he rewarded it with his best defensive effort of the series. Bickerstaff weighed in on Thompson's impact when asked about it by the media after the game.
“I think we did a great job of getting to our spots and executing the stuff we knew we could get to that created an advantage for us. It all started with Ausar and his defense. He was phenomenal defensively tonight. Offensively too coming up with 22 points, but I think it started with his defense and I believe a lot of credit should be given to him,” Bickerstaff said.
Point guard Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with a near triple-double putting up 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. He struggled to start the first half with only four points to open, but really broke out in the second-half with 20 points. He benefited from taking advantage of the free throw line knocking down 11-of-12 attempts through the contest.
Forward Tobias Harris remained steady for the Pistons with 17 points and eight rebounds. Center Jalen Duren played a big factor as well, scoring nine points and pulling down 14 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. He also expanded his game as a playmaker dishing out six assists on offense for the Pistons.
