The Detroit Pistons practically ran the New York Knicks out of the building on Friday night
Last season, the Pistons capped off their dramatic franchise-wide turnaround with a hard-fought six-game series in the first round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks, but the Detroit fans have not forgotten about that result. And judging by the outcome on Friday night, neither have the Pistons’ players after their second consecutive 30+ point victory over the Knicks while playing on the second leg of a back-to-back without Jalen Duren in each scenario.
While the Pistons were playing against a shorthanded Knicks squad without Karl-Anthony Towns or OG Anunoby, Detroit proceeded to lock down New York point guard Jalen Brunson, limiting the All-Star to just 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting on the night. Brunson was primarily Ausar Thompson’s responsibility to control at the point of attack, and the twin harassed the Knicks’ playmaker to the tune of three blocks and two steals in what was a 118-80 victory for the Pistons on Friday night.
The crowd at Little Caesars Arena erupted for each turnover Thompson caused, and the game felt like it had playoff implications given how passionately the fans booed Brunson at every opportunity.
"That playoff series was heavily contested, and I think it bred some of that,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “I don't want to call it a rivalry yet, but it is intensified for us for sure. Again, both teams, I'm sure, would like to get a look at one another fully healthy and see what that looks like. But again, I give our guys a ton of credit just for the response more so than anything. The way they came out today with the right mindset and understanding what was going to be in front of them."
While the Pistons and Knicks matchups may not have graduated to full-fledged rivalry terms by Bickerstaff’s estimation, it is clear that the Pistons felt motivated to send a message to their counterparts from the Big Apple. An emphatic message it was, marking the Pistons 16th win against a team over .500, which leads the Eastern Conference. In fact, no team in the NBA has performed better against quality opponents with Detroit mustering a 16-6 record up to this point.
For the Pistons, true success will be measured in the postseason, and any triumph achieved against the Knicks in the regular season will just serve as an entree before reaching the playoffs. The Pistons moved to 2-0 against New York in the season series with one more game left on the docket at the Knicks’ building in a couple weeks.
Heading into Friday night’s matchup, the Knicks were riding an active eight-game winning streak before running into the buzzsaw that is the Detroit Pistons, a team that saves its most impressive performances for the most crucial of moments. The Pistons also picked up their eighth consecutive win on the second leg of a back-to-back, which underpins the toughness and resilience that this Detroit squad is full of.
Heart is a commodity that cannot be replaced. Instead, heart is developed over time, and the Pistons played with their heart on Friday night whether their matchup against the Knicks counted as a rivalry game or not.
Either way, it counted as a win.
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