Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart spoke about his defensive role after the team’s 98-83 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday
Once the Detroit Pistons started the series off 0-1 after their game one loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, J.B. Bickerstaff maintained that the squad was fine, they just needed to return to their defensive-minded identity.
During game two, the Pistons wasted little time lodging a forceful response with seven blocks in the first quarter in what played out as a 98-83 victory for Detroit, their first postseason win at home since 2008.
In the streak-snapping victory, Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart was responsible for two of Detroit’s 11 blocks on the night, and each served as a thunderous momentum-shifter for a team in search of big stops on defense.
“That’s us,” Stewart said after the Pistons’ double-digit win. “That’s what we were talking about. If we just be who we are, who we’ve been all season long we’ll be just fine.”
During game one, the Magic had a stronger presence in the paint with a distinct rebounding and scoring advantage down low, but Detroit turned the tables by retaking control of those two areas against Orlando in game two. Stewart helped the Pistons reestablish control in the post, and the shot-swatting rim defender finished the Detroit victory with 10 points and five rebounds to complement his pair of energy-sparking redirections.
“I’m willing to lay my body on the line to make those plays for the energy to shift, to give us something and for my teammates and coaches to feed off of it,” Stewart said. “It’s just not having no fear, just slowing everything down, slowing down the play, having great timing and just tracking the ball. I’m not going to tell you my secrets, but it’s just something you’ve got to have an edge for and you’ve got to be okay with putting your body on the line. I love it. I love it because when you meet someone at the rim, it says a lot about the matchup.”
Prior to game two, the NBA announced the results of their Sixth Man of the Year award, and Stewart received one 1st place vote and one 3rd place vote, which earned Beef Stew a 7th place finish in the overall results. And after bouncing back from a left calf strain late in the regular season, Stewart is happy to contribute to the Pistons’ success in whatever capacity Detroit sees fit.
“It’s great to be healthy,” Stewart said. “It’s great to just be available for my teammates. I want to be out there. I want to be in the war. I want to be in the battle, and I want to do everything I can to help propel us forward in any way I can, so I’m just happy to be out there with the guys and to give them everything I can.”
When the Pistons hit halftime last night tied with the Magic at 46 points apiece, Bickerstaff laid into his team for their performance in the first half with the knowledge that Detroit could pull away during the final two quarters if they rededicated themselves defensively. As a result, the resulting Detroit 30-3 run to start the third quarter ultimately allowed for the Pistons to cruise for a double-digit win that brought the team back to level footing at 1-1 in the series.
“Our bench squad, we truly believe we have the best bench unit in the league, and that’s the belief we play with,” Stewart said. “I thought we did a great job of doing our job tonight, coming in and help propelling us forward and we’ve got to continue to do that and just build off it.”
Now that the Pistons locked in their first victory at home in the postseason in nearly two decades, the Motown hoopers are headed down to Orlando for the third and fourth games of their first round series with the Magic. Game three is slated to tip-off at 1 pm on Saturday, April 22.
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