Underdog Pistons don’t plan to back down against favored Cavaliers
‘ We fear nobody,’ says Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson
A reporter prefaced a question for Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy with the premise that his team is the obvious underdog against the Eastern Conference’s top- seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. “Are we? Damn,” he said. Underdogs, yes. Overmatched, not at all.
After watching the Cavaliers work hard for a 106- 101 win in the opening game of the first- round series, Van Gundy wasn’t interested in moral victories.
“You’re in a playoff series, and I’m not really looking to try and stay close,” he said. “That’s not really my objective here. We’re here to try and win games, and we didn’t get it done.”
The Pistons face a formidable opponent and monumental task, but they are not just glad to be here as the eighth seed making their first NBA playoff appearance since 2009.
They want more than one victory, and that’s more than reporters covering the series predicted they would win against Cleveland. They not only want to win the series, they believe they can win the series.
“Love this team,” Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson said. “I love that we fear nobody. Experience is going to be our best teacher. We’re going to learn on the fly, and we’re going to continue to get in your face. We’re not going to back down from anybody. Nobody on this team fears no man.”
Who thought that the Pistons- Cavs Game 1 would be the best series opener in the first round? Detroit was up 83- 76 in the fourth quarter; it was 88- 88 with less than six minutes remaining.
“I’ve been telling you guys all year that this team has a lot of fight in it, that we don’t back down from any team or anyone,” Pistons center Andre Drummond said. “We’re going to come at you each and every night.”
This series should be good for both teams. Obviously for the Pistons because this young, talented team needs playoff experience.
Of the main players in Detroit’s rotation, Jackson, Aron Baynes, Reggie Bullock, Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks and Anthony Tolliver have playoff experience, but collectively it’s minimal. Drummond, Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris, Kentavious Caldwell- Pope and Stanley Johnson — key pieces of Detroit’s future — are in the playoffs for the first time. Every minute, every quarter, every game helps.
“Our guys were out there playing like it was any other game, competing hard,” Van Gundy said. “When they went on runs, our guys were able to stay poised and get back into it.”
Van Gundy blamed himself for decisions he made and didn’t make. But his players need to play better, too. They’re unlikely to make 15 three- pointers and shoot 50% from that distance throughout the series.
A competitive series — even if only five games — will be good for the Cavs, too. Being challenged early will have a positive effect as the playoffs spill into May and June. Remember, after LeBron James, the Cavs don’t have abundant playoff experience.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue is the head coach in the postseason for the first time in his career, and his decisions will be scrutinized. He acquitted himself quite well in Game 1, putting James in the game on the final play of the first half, resulting in two points; going small and moving Kevin Love to center; and calling play after play for Love, exploiting Detroit’s defense in the fourth quarter.