After the Detroit Pistons pulled off the upset over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, head coach Brad Stevens heaped praise on Dwane Casey and Derrick Rose.
The Pistons came out with the 116-103 win over the Celtics, with Rose leading the way and finishing with 22 points, six assists and two rebounds on 11-of-13 shooting from the field.
Stevens called Rose the “best player in the game” while noting that his Celtics gave up too many fastbreak buckets and failed to stop the cuts.
Brad Stevens: “Derrick Rose was tremendous tonight. I thought he was the best player on the court.”
Said the Celtics gave up too many transition buckets and cuts. He guessed 20 points — and said right there you probably lose most NBA games.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 16, 2020
Moreover, Stevens reiterated his admiration to Casey after the game, emphasizing how Casey-coached teams fight until the final buzzer.
Brad Stevens: “I told the team this before the game — I told the team this after the game. I love Coach Casey. I love his teams.”
Said Casey’s teams don’t stop coming after you: “Reflective of their coach.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 16, 2020
The game was pretty close in the first half. But come the second, the Pistons pulled away from the Celtics and built a lead as big as 21 points.
Besides Derrick Rose, rookie big man Sekou Doumbouya was a surprise contributor. He had a team-high 24 points on 10-of-13 from the field and 2-of-5 from downtown. Andre Drummond put up another double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Pistons bench also got it going. Markieff Morris and Svi Mykhailiuk had 23 and 21 points, respectively. As a team, the Pistons shot at an impressive 60.3 percent from the field.
The win breaks the Pistons' three-game slump. They currently sport a 15-27 record for 10th in the East. Blake Griffin recently underwent a second arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will be out for a significant amount of time.
As such, Dwane Casey and the Pistons, who qualified for the postseason last year, would have to work double-time if they want to replicate this success. Their upset win over the Celtics proves that they can still do without Griffin in the roster.
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