Steve Popper: Pistons proved something . . . they're too much for Knicks
The Knicks' Landry Shamet attempts a shot during the second quarter after drawing a foul against Ronald Holland II of the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
If you look back through history, almost all of the moments, all of the memories of a rivalry, a really heated rivalry, come from the playoffs. There can be something to prove, some ill will, but it really doesn’t fully grow into flames until the postseason.
When they faced the Pistons in the opening round of last season’s playoffs, the Knicks walked away with the victory in six games. But the Pistons walked away with something, too. A memory, feeling angry and slighted, a feeling that carries over to every game against the Knicks this season.
“That series, still in my mind, could have gone either way depending on some circumstances that we won’t get into tonight,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said before Thursday night’s final regular-season meeting between the teams. “It was a great learning lesson for our guys.”
Now, after the Pistons completed a sweep of the season series — this one a 126-111 runaway at Madison Square Garden despite being shorthanded — maybe it’s worth considering if the Knicks are up to this rivalry.
The Pistons took those lessons — and the memories of what they believe were missed calls and opportunities lost — into this season. Through the NBA’s All-Star break, they established themselves as the best team in the NBA with a 40-13 record. In their two games against the Knicks, a 31-point victory in January and a 38-point win two weeks ago, it’s clear they wanted to send a message. It wasn’t just the humiliating final score but how they did it, bullying their way past the Knicks.
It’s not that they had all-out brawls like some of those other more storied Knicks rivalries. But it was a start, and something that at least one side of the matchup sees as a measuring stick.
Cade Cunningham was unstoppable as the Knicks threw one defender after another at him, posting 42 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. And with All-Star center Jalen Duren suspended along with Isaiah Stewart, his backup and one of the top defensive bigs in the NBA, the Knicks still struggled to find a way to score, again outhustled and outmuscled.
Jalen Brunson was left much of the night to try to do it himself, with 33 points, except that he had a full roster beside him — an ineffective one. Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t score at all until 1:53 remained in the first half. OG Anunoby, returning from a toe injury, shot 3-for-13 and struggled to stay near Cunningham. Mikal Bridges had eight points and was benched for the final 9:31.
While the Knicks (35-21) point to the playoffs — Mike Brown repeatedly explaining in his first year as their coach that the team will go on a trajectory that isn’t always pointed straight up — and hope to settle any scores there, it’s hard to believe that they didn’t have something to prove Thursday night.
“Every time we go out on the floor, you could say it’s a test or not a test,” Brown said. “We want to win every game. They’re in front of us. Some people might say, ‘Well, you guys lost to Detroit twice, this is an important game.’ Well, if we go beat Detroit tonight and we lose the next night, it’s almost a wash. For us, it’s extremely important because it’s the next game. Add to that they’ve had our number.”
Believe him? That’s up to you, but it’s hard to imagine that a team with a stated goal of getting to the NBA Finals this season take kindly to this embarrassment.
“Playoffs are a new beast no matter how you look at it,” Bickerstaff said. “There’s so many things that go into playoff series and winning in the playoffs. Experience matters. Having failed in the playoffs matters. You look at all the great teams, the teams that have found a way to sustain success, it never happened overnight for them. … You’ve got to go through those things.
“ . . . The regular season matters, how you present yourself every single night matters. I think people for whatever reason, because there’s 82 games, people want to devalue the regular season, but the regular season matters to help you get ready for where you’re going. And those experiences matter. Confidence against an opponent matters, the belief that you can beat an opponent matters, especially when you tie in the experience of going through a playoff series and having the ability to take that next step.”
The Pistons have done something different, giving the Knicks’ title hopes a black eye. Now it’s up to the Knicks to show they will stand up, too.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
