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The Detroit Pistons ended their long playoff drought on Monday night in game two of the first round of the NBA playoffs. The New York Knicks took game one on Saturday after an impressive fourth quarter comeback, and they almost did the same in game two. The Pistons held a comfortbale lead for most the second half, but the Knicks made it close down the stretch. Detroit made the winning plays in the final minute and hung on for a 100-94 victory.
Monday's win was a massive one for the Pistons. It was obviously big to even up the series, but it was important for the franchise as a whole. Detroit had lost 15 playoff games in a row coming into Monday night's game, and the team hadn't won a playoff game since 2008. The long drought is over.
The entire city of Detroit is ecstatic after the game two victory, and that obviously includes Pistons shooting guard Malik Beasley. He was fired up after the game.
“Home-court advantage,” Malik Beasley said in a video posted by the Pistons. “Detroit, where y'all at?… This better be first on the video!”
Beasley is correct, the Pistons do have home-court advantage following their game two win. With the series tied at one, this turns into a best-of-five series, and three of the games will be played in Detroit if the series ends up reaching game six. There are three games scheduled for the Motor City and two for the Big Apple.
Game two was a quiet one for Beasley as he went 1-8 from three after drilling six triples in game one. His off-night didn't matter, however, as the Pistons still found a way to win.
Monday night's game had a lot of similarities to Saturday's. The Pistons had the lead for most of the game and they had a comfortable cushion in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks had one final jolt left in the tank. After the Pistons led 90-78 with 6:29 left in the game, the Knicks went on a 16-4 run to tie the game with a little over a minute to go. A similar comeback happened in game one, and the Pistons folded. Not this time.
The Pistons learned from their game one mistakes, and they weren't going to let another win slip through their fingertips. Detroit outscored the Knicks 6-0 in the final minute, and they held on for the win. The series is now tied at one, and game three will be on Thursday in Detroit.
