Latest news with #Pistons-Knicks
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Malik Beasley continues making big claims even after being eliminated
Malik Beasley had a lot to say in the Pistons' first-round series against the Knicks, and it culminated in him dropping a pass out of bounds just before he had a chance to tie up Game 6. Well, even after his brutal miscue that sealed Detroit's season-ending loss in the 4-2 series against New York, he's still making some bold claims. '[Ausar Thompson] was pissed,' Beasley said postgame after the Knicks eliminated the Pistons. 'He is the best defender in the world. He felt like he should've got a stop on that last possession.' Advertisement 3 Malik Beasley mishandles a pass in the final moments of the Pistons' loss to the Knicks. Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images He then went on to toot his own horn, making an even more audacious claim. 'I'm the best shooter in the world,' Beasley said. 'I feel like I should've [gotten a shot off] on that last possession.' Advertisement Beasley's case comes from the fact that he led the league in total three-pointers through the final day of the regular season before Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards drilled seven threes on 18 attempts to surpass Beasley, 320 to 319. Beasley and Edwards were two of just five players to ever make 300 threes in a season. But Knicks fans will laugh in the face of Beasley's comments about himself as he struggled mightily with his three-point shot for much of the series. Advertisement The 28-year-old shot just 20-of-59 from deep through the six games — that 33.9% rate was down from his regular season posting of 41.6%, which was a career high. Also, there's a certain three-point sniper named Stephen Curry that may have something to say about the world's-best-shooter title. 3 Ausar Thompson was Jalen Brunson's primary defender for much of the Pistons-Knicks series. Getty Images As for Beasley's comments surrounding the 22-year-old Thompson, they hold some weight as the youngster is a defensive phenom who did a respectable job on perhaps the best point guard in the league in the series. Advertisement 'That dude was tough to play against. He's big time,' Brunson even said about Thompson's defense after the series. 'And I told him straight to his face after the series, he made me work. I've got a lot of respect for him.' But again, Knicks fans surely can't help but scoff at Beasley's comments, considering how Jalen Brunson practically shook Thompson to the Palace of Auburn Hills with the amount of separation his dribble moves created on his series-winning three-pointer. 3 Jalen Brunson used a killer move to get massive separation from Ausar Thompson for the game-winning three. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Beasley was with Detroit this season on just a one-year deal, making him one of the greatest bang-for-your-buck signings of the season. He's shown nothing but love for Detroit and a want to return to the team moving forward, but the 'best shooter in the world' could field quite the pay day from other teams this summer.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pistons dreams crushed by Knicks in Game 6: How did Detroit lose all 3 home games?
The Detroit Pistons lost 116-113 in their must-win Game 6 against the New York Knicks on May 1 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The bitter loss ends a remarkable turnaround season for the Pistons. With a minute left in the game, the Knicks made two clutch shots: One on a tying putback layup from Mikal Bridges, and another on a dagger 3-pointer from Jalen Brunson, who had 40 points in the game. Advertisement The Pistons had a seven-point lead with 2:35 left in the game, but their inexperience showed once again against a playoff-tested Knicks roster that will now head to Boston for their second-round series against the No. 2 seed Celtics beginning Monday. The Pistons set a record with their 10th straight home playoff loss dating to 2008, and breaking the previous high of nine set by the Philadelphia 76ers from 1968-71. ANALYSIS: Pistons will regret Game 6 collapse vs Knicks all summer long. This one stings Here's a roundup of instant reactions after Game 6 of Pistons-Knicks: You can reach Christian at cromo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How did Detroit Pistons lose all 3 home games against NY Knicks?
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Does the NBA playoffs have a physicality problem? ‘I think it's gone too far'
By Eric Koreen, Fred Katz, Kelly Iko and Law Murray Before Game 2 of his team's series against the Los Angeles Lakers last week, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch spoke honestly about the nature of the NBA playoffs. 'If you look around the playoffs right now, it's super physical,' Finch told reporters. 'To me, they've gone way too far on the physicality. I'm not complaining about the way our series, in particular, has been reffed. I'm just saying in general, I … think it's gone too far. It feels like it's physicality on purpose. It's disrupted the flow. If there's not a fight in that Houston-Golden State series, I'd be surprised. That thing feels like it's on the edge every single time.' Advertisement Clearly, the style of game has changed. Five series are being played at dramatically slower paces than the league's slowest team, the Orlando Magic, played in the regular season. There was a fracas that earned the Nuggets and Clippers six technical fouls on Sunday, while the Pistons-Knicks and Rockets-Warriors series have been notably chippy, with technicals and flagrants frequent. Ask the Celtics about how the Magic guarded them and you might get an earful. The Athletic's Eric Koreen, who has been watching from home, Kelly Iko, who is covering the Rockets-Warriors series, Law Murray, who is covering Nuggets-Clippers, and Fred Katz, who is covering Knicks-Pistons, got together to chat about what they've seen. Iko: Have I noticed? Without a doubt. I've seen an uptick in conversations from folks in the NBA praising this year's playoffs and the amount of physicality allowed or tolerated. And I understand why people are excited. I've used the phrase 'attached detachment' before in an NBA context, but it applies to all professional sports. There's an elation that comes from witnessing heightened physicality (and potential violence in some instances), enjoying the competitive aspect of it while not being in danger yourself. That's what these playoffs have been. I'd be a hypocrite to say I don't enjoy physical play. But having extensively covered this Rockets-Warriors series, I'd say there's a limit. It would be one thing if there was some sort of runway up to the postseason — officials letting more go in the second half of the year — but it's been so sudden that it's a surprise. Katz: I've noticed it, and I am ambivalent about it. On one hand, I enjoy 10 world-class athletes battling for loose balls, fighting for rebounds, knocking others around the court in the hopes of winning a game. Healthy, sportsmanlike contentiousness is good for the playoffs. Advertisement However, the way this is happening has the vibe of last year's midseason adjustment, when the NBA decided to enforce foul rules differently and turned the game more physical with time still to go in the regular season. That change caught several teams by surprise. And while this one has a cleaner delineator (the playoffs are always more physical than the regular season), the chasm feels larger than normal. The sport seems different. And teams and players, based purely on conversations I've had with them, seem caught by surprise in a similar fashion to how they were a year ago. A more physical game can be more fun, but the postseason should somewhat resemble the regular season. Otherwise, what's the point of a regular season? Right now, the gap is wide. Koreen: I want to be careful in crediting the physicality with producing the compelling basketball we have seen in the playoffs. As always, it is how much the players care, combined with the ability for teams to specifically scout their opposition and tailor their game plans accordingly, that plays the biggest role in the improvement from the regular season to the playoffs. With that said — and maybe it is because I spent so much time focusing on the worst of what the league has to offer — I have loved playoff basketball. The missed call at the end of Knicks-Pistons Game 4 was lamentable, but missed calls happen. Overall, the extra grime, which necessitates an extra level of offensive execution, has added to the product. Murray: There's definitely more physicality. And I not only enjoy it, I expect it. Every year around the All-Star break, we reach a peak of conflict to figure out why offense feels like global warming. But nature is healing in the spring! I'd argue players have as much to do with it as the officials. The Clippers were top-five in total points allowed this season. Some teams have already been conditioned to bring out an increased level of physicality. Now, it's the playoffs. There are no back-to-backs, there are no cupcakes on the schedule looking toward the lottery, and there's no lack of familiarity. This happens every year, and I'm amused by how shocking it is for some viewers. Advertisement Iko: Physicality helped Houston the most. It's been their identity for the last two seasons under Ime Udoka. Any team that relies on its defensive versatility and intensity to win games has to benefit from added physicality. Now, it sounds somewhat ironic given the Rockets are trailing 3-1 in the series, but Houston has committed the fourth-fewest fouls per game amongst playoff teams. During the regular season, they were just outside the top 10. It's hurt Detroit the most. The Pistons, like the Rockets, are on the brink of elimination, but Detroit leaned too hard into that brand of basketball. That's an especially difficult task to complete when Isaiah Stewart, the beacon of bullyball, has been out injured. The Pistons have opened an emotional door, getting too invested in winning some of these skirmishes and having less control over the actual basketball going on. Katz: It will help the Thunder the most. Their greatest strength just became stronger and their greatest weakness became less relevant. Despite all the accusations hurled at supposed free-throw merchant Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder do not live at the line. It's quite the opposite. No one had a less favorable free-throw differential during the regular season. Now, the league's best defense can bump into opponents with fewer repercussions. I'll say it hurts the Lakers the most. No team goes smaller than Los Angeles and switches more frequently with like-minded defenders. The Lakers led the NBA in free-throw attempt rate; that rate falls in these circumstances. We think of physicality as affecting only defense, but it hits the other side of the ball, too. The Timberwolves are shoving around Lakers defenders with screeners and drivers, creating buckets for themselves. It's a significant reason Minnesota is up 3-1 heading into Wednesday's game. Koreen: Long term, give me the Oklahoma City Thunder, as if they need the help. The Thunder already had the best defense in the league in the regular season. If Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams are allowed to be even more handsy? Watch out. Meanwhile, this could hurt Cleveland down the road. I love the Cavaliers' roster. But the more reliant you are on smaller guards to score, the more physicality could hurt you. The same can be said for teams lacking depth — the Lakers, Nuggets and Knicks. Murray: It helps the teams that are already physical and embrace physicality. The Magic play the least aesthetically pleasing basketball in the NBA. They allowed the fewest points in the league, while only the Nets and Hornets averaged fewer points scored per game than Orlando. They can't hit the broad side of a barn, and yet here they were making the Boston Celtics sweat out a quarterfinal series. The Thunder play defense like the Legion of Boom Seattle Seahawks used to cover wide receivers. The refs can't call every pass interference and the Thunder know it. Advertisement On the flip side, the added physicality hurts the teams that can't adjust. Look no further than the two eighth seeds. The Heat and Grizzlies gave the people nonchalant regular-season basketball, and got thrown out the club as a result. Iko: Game 4 in Rockets-Warriors was it for me. The first three games felt like it was gradually building up to a boiling point, which happened on Monday night. At one point during the second quarter, my friend Monte Poole, who has covered the Warriors for years, leaned over and shouted, 'Can we just get back to basketball?' There was just so much going on in that game that had nothing to do with anything meaningful. Steph Curry taunting Dillon Brooks, who incited a mini riot. Jimmy Butler and Brooks jawing back and forth, leading to an elbow to the throat and slight shove to the ground. Draymond Green and Tari Eason getting tangled up, grabbing at legs and stepping over each other. Big men Steven Adams and Quinton Post got in on the action. At one point, there were more stoppages to review for hostile acts than made buckets. It was a complete mess. Katz: Let's take the final play of Knicks-Pistons Game 4. Cade Cunningham missed a jumper. Tobias Harris shoved Josh Hart away from the ball on the rebound attempt, which the league ruled a correct no-call in its last two-minute report. The ball trickles to the corner, where Tim Hardaway Jr. picks it up. Hardaway rises for a jumper as Hart closes out and bumps him. Again, there's no call, and the Knicks win by one as Hardaway's jumper doesn't hit the rim. After the game, crew chief David Guthrie acknowledged that referees should have called a foul on Hart. And in a vacuum, Guthrie is correct. Hart brushed into Hardaway when he was going up for the shot, a textbook foul. But here's the problem: If you listed the most intrusive non-fouls that could have been fouls throughout that game, I'm not sure the Hart-on-Hardaway play even makes the top 10. To be clear, I thought that game was well officiated, fair and consistent for both sides, which is the most important part of the job. But when the officials announce after the game that they missed one call at the end, even though that no-call was consistent with the way they called the game all night, there may be a discrepancy. Advertisement Koreen: There were some moments early in the Rockets-Warriors series that barely resembled basketball. As Kelly noted, that continued on Monday. We shouldn't be surprised, given some of the involved parties, but that series started off as a slog. It has been a reminder that you only want to go so far in bringing back the '80s and '90s. Beyond that, while I have some specific complaints about officiating, I haven't found play to be dirtier than in other postseasons. I didn't love Rudy Gobert delivering a forearm shiver to LeBron James' head after James threw his hip into him on a box out, but I don't think that's a huge outlier from playoffs past. Gobert got a flagrant, as he should have. Murray: I love telling people that I was a referee as part of my work study as an undergrad. I know how hard officiating a game is. But I also know players pick up on patterns of how certain refs facilitate games. I'm not comfortable with how inconsistent some of these games get, or how officials have to overcorrect to regain control of a game. I don't like how you know Draymond Green isn't going to get ejected despite putting out a mixtape of physicality that is usually only available on pay-per-view. That's the physicality that crosses the line. The officials have to maintain the integrity of the game. Establish what is permitted, warn players (and coaches) to play basketball, and hold them accountable accordingly. We all see what's happening out there. Iko: It would change how teams approach scouting. There might be more of an onus on seasoned players who play multiple positions and foul more. As far as current NBA players go, the modern floor-spacing big, more of a finesse type, could be phased out in favor of the traditional rim-to-rim bruiser — a world with more Steven Adams and less Nikola Vučević. Katz: Maybe teams would have to prioritize Nos. 11 through 15 on the roster more. This is the age of rest and load management. If games are more exhausting, then it's possible load management or legitimate injuries increase, and that player on a two-way contract you haven't heard of could end up in the rotation. Advertisement Koreen: A more physical standard would only increase the need for physical, multi-positional defenders. Players like that, especially ones who can shoot, are already prized. With some rules loosened, their value would rise. I also think more traditional bigs would gain value, but not because teams would simply be dumping the ball into the post more often. Rather, excellent screensetting would become crucial in freeing up perimeter scorers. The value of shooting wouldn't change, but on- and off-ball screens become so important at this time of year. Murray: That should have already been the case. You build teams with two seasons in mind: the grind of an 82-game regular season, and the grind of the playoffs when only one team will win 16 games. You need skill, but you need the positional size to go with that skill. Defense validates your lineups. And the equalizer to height-weight-speed are players who play hard and through contact effectively on both ends. No one is bringing the goon back to rosters any time soon, but you're not building a team that can't bump either. Just ask the Phoenix Suns how far that can get you. Iko: It can be good, given the right parameters. One of the biggest complaints from people who subscribe to the plummeting ratings argument is that today's game is too soft, with foul-grifting at an all-time high. Dialing some of that back, while celebrating controlled physicality, would do the league some good, I think. The officials have done a solid job in preventing some of these dust-ups from spilling over. Now, you could argue that players aren't really 'about that life' and are just getting in each other's faces for theatrics. But I've enjoyed this playoff campaign in ways I didn't in recent years, and that's directly correlated to added physicality. Advertisement Katz: I'm into more physicality, in general. My only critique is that it should be explicit. I sense that players are a bit taken aback by the enforcement of the rules now. Every rule change for the past two decades has been in favor of the offense. The league wouldn't be the only ones to believe it's gone too far in that direction. But turning basketball into boxing isn't the only way to help a defense. The NBA could bring back some of the old rules. Allow handchecking again or get rid of defensive three-seconds. Koreen: It's fair to say that what is allowed in the regular season has to be closer to what is allowed in the playoffs, and vice versa. As I stated above, there are reasons for the difference in styles that go beyond what is being called and what is not, but we have probably veered too far toward allowing physicality. As well, there's a lack of consistency within games that is troubling, and that is often what leads to melees and complaints. Overall, I think this is good for the league. Give me a little more sense of rivalry, competitiveness and, sure, bad blood. Murray: It's fine. There will be complaints about the game no matter how it's played. If teams were averaging 120 points per game, there would be complaints. If teams were struggling to get to 100 points, there would be clamors for rule changes. Defense is physicality. I see teams playing hard and realizing that if they don't, they get to book Cancun shortly.
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Detroit Pistons save season, shock MSG crowd with Game 5 win vs New York Knicks, 106-103
Detroit Pistons save season, shock MSG crowd with Game 5 win vs New York Knicks, 106-103 Show Caption Hide Caption Has Cade Cunningham proved himself in this playoff series for Pistons? Bryce and Omari break down Cade's performance in the past four playoff games against the New York Knicks. NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons entered an elimination Game 5 on the road with a simple mindset — it's just one game. They went out and executed, defeating the New York Knicks 106-103 to force a Game 6 in Detroit on Thursday. Cunningham scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining in the game to give the Pistons a three-point cushion to hold onto the win. Ausar Thompson had his best playoff game thus far with 22 points (on 8-for-10 shooting), seven rebounds and a pair of blocks. Cade Cunningham starts slow, finishes strong The franchise player had arguably his worst first half of the series, entering halftime with four points, three rebounds, two assists and three turnovers on 2-for-8 overall shooting. It was an uncharacteristic two quarters for Cunningham, who's been the Pistons' best player by far but, at times, has had issues with the Knicks' physicality and long-armed defenders. The third quarter was better — he only made one of three shot attempts but went 5-for-6 at the free throw line, with four assists, two steals, a block and just one turnover. An alley-oop to Thompson a minute into the period gave the Pistons the lead, 51-50, and ran the show as the Pistons used an 18-6 run to take their biggest lead of the night, 69-59, at the 4:58 mark. In the final period, Cunningham scored seven-straight points — a coast-to-coast layup, pair of free throws and a 3-pointer — to give the Pistons the lead again, 95-90, with 4:17 left in the game after the Knicks battled back at the end of the third. The Knicks tied it at 95 with a layup from Mikal Bridges and 3-pointer from Karl-Anthony Towns. Cunningham had the answers down the stretch, though. A Cunningham-to-Duren alley-oop gave the Pistons the lead again, 97-95, and hit a floater a possession after a second-chance layup from Duren to build a six-point lead with under two minutes left, 101-95. With 27.4 seconds left, he answered a Knicks bucket by finding Thompson open under the rim to push it to six again, 103-97, before making the winning free throws. STAR POWER IN DETROIT: In Pistons-Knicks series, Cade Cunningham has shown he can carry a franchise going forward Ausar Thompson delivers series-best performance Before the game, J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged the challenge of playing Thompson in the fourth quarter. He's the Pistons' only viable defensive option against Brunson, who has torched the Pistons late in games. However, his lack of shooting and proclivity for turning the ball over during the playoffs led to the coaching staff prioritizing shooting and ball-handling in crunch time. In the Pistons' last three games, Thompson played fewer than three minutes in the final period with Bickerstaff leaning toward Schroder, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. instead. In Game 5, Thompson was so good that they had no choice but to play him with the game on the line. Thompson delivered his best performance of the playoffs, showing his usual strong defense on Brunson while consistently finding opportunities on offense. He struggled at the free throw line (6-for-12), but otherwise was one of the Pistons' most reliable scorers. The Pistons opened the game with a 9-2 run, forcing an early timeout after Thompson mirrored Brunson and forced him to miss to end to set up a fastbreak 3-pointer on the other end for Harris. In the second quarter, he consistently made himself available for outlet passes in transition and in the dunker's spot in halfcourt situations. He was the recipient of several entry passes from Duren, leading to open dunks. With 41 seconds to play in the first half, he tracked Brunson in transition and swatted his layup attempt from behind. At halftime, Thompson was tied with Harris in leading the Pistons with 10 points. With 7:35 remaining in the final period, he checked in for Schroder and remained in the game before the coaching staff alternated between Thompson and Schroder in the final 25 seconds, as the Knicks threatened a come-from-behind win. Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@ Follow him on X and/or Bluesky. Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress).
Boston Globe
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Celtics need to answer physicality of Game 3 with a champion's poise
Related : Advertisement The main Game 3 victim was forward Jaylen Brown, who was yanked down by Cole Anthony in the second quarter, crashing onto his left hand. He said afterwards he dislocated his left index finger. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I got nine more,' he joked. 'Definitely a physical game and they got away with a lot,' Brown said of the Magic. 'If you can get away with it, I would do it, too. That definitely affected us but we'll be ready for Game 4.' Related : It was Orlando's third flagrant foul of the series and each of those fouls have left a serious mark on a Celtics starter. First it was Tatum's wrist in Game 1, then a gash to Kristaps Porzingis's forehead in Game 2 that required five stitches and now Brown's finger is dislocated. The Magic are playing football out there and the Celtics are left to ponder how do they respond without crossing the line. Advertisement 'I mean, I don't know, it might be a fight breaking out or something,' Brown said with a serious face. 'It's starting to feel like it's not even basketball. The refs [are] not controlling the environment. If you want to fight it out, we can do that. We can fight to see who goes to the second round.' Of course, Brown didn't actually mean a five-on-five brawl for the right to face the Pistons-Knicks winner (which is something Joe Mazzulla may heartily approve) but it's apparent the Celtics are going to have to adjust their mentality and prepare for more basketball warfare for the remainder of this series. Count the basket 💪😤 — Boston Celtics (@celtics) 'Playing our basketball that's the key,' he said. 'We know how good we are and what we can do. But we just got to fight. We got to meet their level the next game and we'll be more prepared. We're supposed to be playing basketball, that's what it's about, getting up and down but the flagrant fouls is piling up. We just got to be ready for Game 4.' Tatum came back from the bone bruise on his right wrist to lead the Celtics with 36 points, but the offense became too reliant on his one-on-one play and there were stretches of scoring droughts and turnover-filled possessions against Orlando's aggressive defense. The Celtics' 21 turnovers were the most of the Mazzulla era and it led to 26 points for the Magic. Orlando points. The Magic has had a difficult time scoring, relying solely on Franz Wagner (32 points) and Paolo Banchero (29 points). When the Celtics had a chance to steal the game in the final minutes, Porzingis couldn't stop Wagner on two spinning drives to the basket for a pair of layups that snapped a 91-91 tie. Advertisement The Celtics went more than two minutes without scoring before Derrick White converted a layup with 28.1 seconds left. Fitting of their frustrating night, the Celtics got a defensive stop but had just 0.3 seconds to respond with a last-gasp tying bucket. Another game peppered with hard fouls, questionable no-calls and baffling turnovers has turned this into a competitive series, with the Magic pulling within 2-1. The Celtics walked away knowing they played one of their worst offensive games of the season, but yet were just a few plays from winning Game 3. But they have revived the Magic who now have unlocked their key to success against the Celtics: continue to play physical, bordering on reckless, and hope it frustrates the Celtics and forces them to make mistakes and erratic decisions. 'We just got stagnant,' Tatum said. 'We've just got to play with some more pace and movement. That's when we're at our best.' Tatum and Brown were upset after the loss, but both definitely had their sense of humor, an indication the spirit and confidence remains high, even as both now battling hand injuries. 'Just get up, ain't that what Joe told me [in Game 1]?' Tatum said. 'Move on to the next play. Protect yourself and just focus on the game. Keep it basketball, but just be physical. It's the playoffs. [Expletive] happens from time to time.' Advertisement The Celtics will not be allowed to don boxing gloves in Game 4, but they're going to have to make a physical adjustment. They will have to answer with more poised play and less hero ball. That's how they're going to have to win this series and they need to win this series as soon as possible before more injuries occur. Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
