Game Recap/Notes: Game #16. Pistons 116 - Lakers 122. (4-12)
That was a game. Disappointing to let the Lakers come back the way they did as well. We will get to the fight later though.
We want the fight now.
Ok fine.
In all walks of life, whether talking about sports or politics or your workplace or your marriage or whatever. Multiple things can be true at once.
TRUTH #1: LeBron ABSOLUTELY took a cheap shot at Stewart. There is no doubt at all. LeBron looked right at him and swung. I can perhaps listen to the idea that he didn’t mean to catch him so directly and was maybe intending to just kinda slap him off a bit but there is no doubt that the intention was to slap/punch/hit Stewart.
TRUTH #2: With the above in mind. Stewart had every right to be genuinely angry. Not Jalen Rose “HOLD ME BACK” angry. He was bleeding bad and it was a genuine cheap shot.
TRUTH #3: Stewart’s conduct was inexcusable. He got his moment and was being led off the court with his teammates and coaches. If he had left there it would’ve been all good, but the fact that he busted loose and turned around to go after him is exceptionally poor. In all likelihood, all that has been accomplished is getting him a suspension at a time that the team cannot afford to have him suspended. Just consider the rest of the game after he was ejected and how soft the interior of the Pistons defense became which led directly to the comeback.
Even more than that however, imagine if Cade Cunningham had not been so committed to keeping Stewart away. What if he actually got to the Lakers and started a real fistfight? Not only is that genuinely dangerous for all parties involved (DeAndre Jordan was standing in the way, him and Stew are huge and strong, either one lands a punch on the other is very possibly bad news), but also something the league will absolutely not tolerate. If he actually got ahold of someone he may have been suspended for the whole season or something. He MUST have a cooler head. He had his moment, he proved his toughness, and with replay today everyone knew that LeBron took a cheap shot. Get off the court.
Bro if that happens to me on the court we are throwing hands maybe you don’t understand.
I’ve seen a lot of people say this. I’ve taken cheap shots on the court before and guess what, fights have broken out. But I’m playing pickup at Garfield park, I’m not in the league. It’s that simple.
Onto the game.
Cory Joseph:
Miserable outing from Joseph. Played a whooping 39 minutes with Killian Hayes out injured. Scored just 5 points on 5 equivalents, did have 7 assists without a turnover which is nice. Defense is lacking.
Cade Cunningham:
First career triple-double, 13 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists. Had a couple of really impressive buckets in isolation including a incredibly tough finish over Anthony Davis at the hoop.
The bad news is that he went 6-21 from the field to get those 13 points and did not shoot a free-throw. The free-throws seem like a thing to watch, it is really hard to be an elite-level scorer without getting to the line. He’s gotten there some this season but not a ton.
Saddiq Bey:
14 points on 13 shots, had some big plays that got the Pistons momentum in the middle part of the game. He only had 4 rebounds tonight but I’m starting to believe in his ability to go get some offensive rebounds as a real asset to his game. He still needs to string together efficient scoring nights. Overall though I thought he put in a solid shift tonight.
Jerami Grant:
Huge night for Grant, very likely his best in a Pistons uniform. 36 points on 30 equivalents, 4 rebounds, 3 assists. He was the driving force in the middle of the game when the Pistons got out to a big lead. The Lakers really struggled to find an answer for him all night.
Isaiah Stewart:
We already covered the fight. Before being ejected Stewart was having a really nice night. Didn’t have much statistically but his defense was a shining star. It was on its way to a promising night largely because people like me consistently talk about how his lack of elite size or athleticism puts a clear cap on how good he can be on the defensive end, but he was showing tonight how he can overcome that through tenacity and smarts to be elite anyways. Hopefully he isn’t suspended for too long.
Trey Lyles:
7 points on 6 shots, it’s hard to hold his defensive shortcomings against him when he’s forced to try and play center.
Frank Jackson:
Still rolling, 15 points on 11 shots and 3-6 from deep. He has found a groove and a comfort-zone in his role and is thriving right now. He’s hitting threes and attacking on pump-and-go looks.
Josh Jackson:
Only played 15 minutes. Scored 5 points. Didn’t do much of note other than play at the same time as Hami which is nice to see, no reason they have to be redundant in the rotation.
HAMIDOU-MOTHER-FUCKIN-DIALLO:
First honors? First honors. It’s a lower bar but given all the crap he’s gone through this season I think it’s deserving. 17 points on 9 shots, 6 rebounds, 2 steals. If you didn’t watch that may not seem like that big a deal, but his hustle and effort swung a huge portion of this game. Even as someone who is not really a fan of Diallo’s game, you have to feel great for a guy to break out like this after going through it, would be great if he can string together good games.
General:
The end of game play was disastrous. I have no idea what the plan was. Some X and O nerds on twitter seemed to have a good idea of what they were trying to do and agreed that is was brain-dead.
What do you think? Stew vs Bron PPV? Can Hami string good games together?