Right, seven hard fought tough games that leaves them both exhausted. But with everybody healthy, of course.
They are in the middle of assimilating that right now.
Learn it.
Do it.
Teach it.
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Freep roundup: A heavy dose of a player many were not happy with in game 1.
Daniss Jenkins’ adjustment to NBA playoffs changes Pistons’ potential
If this is who he’s going to be, he changes the trajectory – and ceiling – of the team. A heady thought, I know.
But then consider his averages for the 11-game stretch when he started for Cade Cunningham in the final weeks of the season:
18.9 points, 7.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds.
Oh, and he shot 43.1% from 3-point range. Yeah, yeah, that’s the regular season.
That pressure overwhelmed him for a while. Then he leaned back into the things that got him the two-way contract and rediscovered his groove. He did the same after scuffling early against Orlando.
“You can’t simulate the playoffs," he said Tuesday night. “That first round, that first game, the first two games, I was trying too hard to make the play … my energy was just too much. I had to relax. I had to go through it … the atmosphere, the intensity of the game. It was just something I needed for my career, to prepare me for the next series.”
Mitch Albom: Pistons’ others show they belong, and so does Detroit
2-pointers a reason to celebrate
Which brings us to Robinson, Detroit’s two-guard. He played 28 minutes Tuesday night, one less than Jenkins. But Robinson, who is basically the Pistons’ Doc Holliday — the sharpest shooter in the gang — did exactly what he was supposed to do in those minutes, and then some. He hit five 3-pointers in seven tries, sending the crowd to its feet every time. He provided the outlet when his teammates drove inside. And then, for good measure, he drove a few times himself, hitting two floaters in the lane that helped put the icing on his 19-point night.
“Yeah, I like mixing it up every now and then,” Robinson joked postgame. “That’s something I’ve worked throughout in my career. I think I set the record in my second year for most percentage of shots that were just [3-pointers.] So I’ve made it a point to try and expand that. …
“I try not to celebrate 3’s, because I like to act like I’ve been there before. But the times I will celebrate are when I mix it up and get a 2.”
Hey, go ahead. Live it up. When guys like Robinson and Jenkins are fulfilling their roles, the Pistons have a great shot at going far in the postseason. They say in a seven-game playoff series, you need to capture two games by your superstars, one game by your defense or coaching, and one game by your role players stepping up. They refer to these guys, at times, as “the others.”
3 keys to Pistons taking 2-0 lead over Cavaliers, Game 2 prediction
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Continue leaning on Daniss Jenkins
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Winning the possession game again is a must
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Ron Holland is ready for the spotlight
The second-year forward has appeared in all 159 regular season games in which he has been eligible to play. The postseason has been a different story – he didn’t appear in Game 6 of the playoffs against the New York Knicks last season. And after playing Games 1 and 2 against the Magic, he was benched for the rest of the series outside of one minute of Game 7 garbage time.
Holland likely will have a more substantial role against the Cavaliers due to him being their best defensive option (outside of Ausar Thompson) for superstar guards James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. Holland played 10 minutes in Game 1 and finished with six points, including a buzzer-beating 3 to finish the third quarter, and a steal.
“Even when we were playing against Orlando, he was telling me to stay ready, keep your head up,” Holland said of Bickerstaff. “I just came in the gym every single day and did just that. I stayed ready and, like you said, it’s going to be different moments going quarter-by-quarter, game-by-game. I want to be ready when my name is called because I want to go out there with no regrets.”
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The Pistons are on Amazon tonight, which I have, but it’s complete garbage that someone has to have 3 or 4 different streaming services to watch their team in the playoffs.
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And the streaming quality of Prime isn’t great.
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Everyone should just pirate the shit and put all these streaming services out of business. Or at least hurt them enough that it doesn’t pay off to have the games.
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Not gonna lie, if I could go back to the days of broadcast TV, newspapers and magazines, vinyl records and turntables, and having to get to the bank by Friday afternoon to have cash for the weekend, I probably would.
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What’s a newspaper?
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gARR!
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It was used for the bottom of canary cages.
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Who bought Blake Griffin those sweet brown Amish pants?
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James Houston. They are called emergency pants
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Sharts for men
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Sports leagues need to lose their anti-trust exemptions and should be challenged in court for their monopolies. Their exemptions made sense when pretty much everything was on OTA broadcasts. Now that you need 100 different subscriptions to even watch your own team? No way.
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Ausar Robinson
Uncle T’s hips don’t work like that anymore
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They may never work like that again. Looks to be ok. Fingers crossed.
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Two whole shot attempts by Cade and Duren combined and the Stones are up by 7 after 1. Love it.
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