Pistons hosed by controversial no-call, but can only blame themselves for late collapse in loss to Cavs

The defining moment of regulation occurred with the score tied at 103 and mere seconds remaining on the clock. Pistons wing Ausar Thompson stripped Donovan Mitchell as the Cavaliers guard drove for a potential game-winning shot. As both Thompson and Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen pursued the loose ball, Allen appeared to trip Thompson. No foul was called by the officiating crew, and the ball went out of bounds as time expired, sending the game into overtime. At the time of the incident, the Pistons were in the bonus, meaning Thompson would have been awarded two free throws for a chance to win the game.

Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff voiced his disagreement with the decision following the game. "He fouled Ausar," Bickerstaff stated. "It’s clear. He trips him when he’s going for a loose ball. End of game situation, that’s tough."

Conversely, official Tony Brothers, who was part of the crew, offered a different interpretation of the play when speaking to a pool reporter. Brothers described the contact between Thompson and Allen as "incidental," stating, "During live play, both players were going for the ball and there was incidental contact with the legs with no player having possession of the ball."

The league’s Last Two Minute Report is expected to review the play, and a determination of a missed foul would provide the Pistons with a valid grievance. While Thompson, a 57.1% free-throw shooter, would not have guaranteed a victory, the non-call undeniably deprived Detroit of an opportunity to seal the game before the additional period.

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However, the late-game officiating decision came only after the Pistons squandered a substantial lead, allowing the Cavaliers to force overtime. With 3:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, Tobias Harris connected on a 3-pointer, extending Detroit’s advantage to 103-94. This shot appeared to be a potential clincher, positioning the Pistons to defend their home court and take a series lead. Instead, Harris’s basket marked the last points Detroit’s offense, which has struggled with consistency throughout the season, would score in regulation. Over the subsequent two minutes, their previously robust defense faltered, allowing Cleveland to erase the nine-point deficit and tie the game.

Anatomy of a Fourth-Quarter Collapse

Cleveland’s late-game surge was primarily orchestrated by the veteran leadership and clutch play of James Harden, often in conjunction with Evan Mobley. Their pick-and-roll combination became the Cavaliers’ primary offensive weapon, generating seven of the nine points needed for the comeback. The remaining two points came from a remarkable save by Mitchell on a loose ball, which led to an easy Mobley dunk.

The first critical Harden-Mobley pick-and-roll saw Harden’s shot blocked. However, Harden secured the first of his three crucial offensive rebounds, re-establishing possession. He then passed to Mitchell and immediately set a double screen on both Thompson and Cade Cunningham, freeing Mitchell to drive for a layup.

The subsequent Harden-Mobley pick-and-roll proved simpler. Detroit’s defensive strategy had often involved trapping Harden with two defenders. On this occasion, the double-team created an opening for Mobley to execute a pick-and-pop 3-pointer, which he converted.

The third significant pick-and-roll resulted in a missed Harden runner. Yet, Harden’s second enormous offensive rebound of the sequence set up arguably the most critical play of the postseason for Cleveland. While still airborne, Harden managed to dish the ball to Mitchell in the corner. The ball then swung around the perimeter before finding Mobley. With the shot clock winding down and Detroit attempting to avoid a foul, Harris committed a foul on Mobley on the floor, sending him to the free-throw line. Mobley calmly sank both game-tying free throws, sending the contest to overtime. Cleveland’s offensive approach was characterized by a clear plan: leverage the Harden-Mobley pick-and-roll to force defensive rotations and capitalize on the resulting advantages. Even when initial shots missed, Harden’s relentless offensive rebounding and playmaking turned broken possessions into crucial points.

In stark contrast, Detroit’s offense struggled with coherence, particularly in the absence of Duncan Robinson, their primary shooting threat. Without Robinson’s shooting gravity, the Pistons’ late-game half-court offense stagnated. The team appeared to hunt for specific matchups without a clear strategy for exploiting them, leading to squandered possessions and missed opportunities.

One sequence highlighted Detroit’s struggles: Daniss Jenkins spent six seconds walking the ball up the court. Detroit then dedicated another seven seconds to screening Max Strus off Cunningham, aiming to isolate Mitchell on Cunningham on an empty side of the court. Mitchell recognized the play and drove, but with Thompson, a non-shooting threat, on the court, Allen could effectively guard the rim by merely shifting position. As Cunningham drove, Strus sprinted from Jenkins to deliver a double-team, trapping Cunningham in the corner with no viable pass. Cunningham was forced into a contested jumper, which he missed. On the ensuing offensive rebound, Cunningham attempted to learn from Cleveland’s strategy, anticipating Strus’s second double-team and hitting Jenkins for a wide-open 3-pointer. However, Jenkins had shot just 30% on wide-open 3s in the postseason, and the shot missed.

On Detroit’s next possession, Jenkins dribbled for 15 full seconds of the shot clock before any significant action materialized. He eventually passed to Cunningham off a Paul Reed screen, but this action triggered a late Allen double-team. Cunningham quickly passed to Reed, whose shot was blocked by Mobley at the rim, leading to a shot clock violation.

The slow pace of Detroit’s offense was further exemplified on a subsequent play. Cunningham held the ball at the top of the arc with 15 seconds on the shot clock. Mitchell, guarding Jenkins, slowly meandered towards Cunningham for a potential double. It took another six or seven seconds for Mitchell to fully commit, at which point Cunningham passed to an open Jenkins at the nail. Harden rotated over, as Thompson was left unguarded, but Mobley had wandered too far off Harris, leaving Harris open for a 3-pointer. Harris, who had arguably been having his best offensive postseason, and who had hit the go-ahead three earlier, missed the follow-up.

Cleveland’s offensive process demonstrated clear intent and reliable counters, even when initial attempts failed. The Pistons, however, played slowly, struggled to effectively exploit perceived mismatches due to personnel limitations, and ultimately missed crucial shots, allowing their season-long offensive flaws to resurface.

Overtime and Series Implications

In overtime, the Cavaliers quickly established a seven-point lead. While Detroit managed to cut the deficit to two points, Harden and Mobley converted the necessary free throws to secure the 117-113 victory. The Cavaliers, who have yet to lose a playoff game in Cleveland this postseason, now return home with an opportunity to clinch the series in Game 6 on Friday.

Where Do the Pistons Go From Here?

The availability of Duncan Robinson for Game 6 would be a significant boost for the Pistons. During the regular season, Detroit’s half-court offense scored 101 points per 100 plays with Robinson on the floor, ranking in the 76th percentile for efficiency. Without him, that figure dropped to 93.6 points per 100 plays, placing them in the 22nd percentile. This stark contrast highlights the vital role Robinson’s shooting gravity plays in the Pistons’ offensive scheme, which is otherwise designed to thrive on turnovers and transition points. Detroit generated 20 points off turnovers in the first half of Game 5 but only seven in the second half, coinciding with their offensive struggles.

Robinson is the only true shooting threat the Pistons consistently trust with significant minutes. Deadline acquisition Kevin Huerter played only three minutes in Game 5, and while Marcus Sasser contributed 16 minutes, he does not offer the same offensive impact. Robinson’s presence forces opposing defenses to account for his movement, a factor the Cavaliers did not have to contend with in the critical late stages of Game 5.

Another critical subplot is the performance of starting center Jalen Duren. Duren, a player with All-NBA potential, has seen his scoring average drop from 19.5 points per game in the regular season to 10.2 points in the playoffs. His shooting percentage has fallen from 65% to under 50% in the postseason, while his turnovers have increased by over 36% on a per-game basis. Part of Duren’s struggles can be attributed to Detroit’s roster construction; playoff defenses have keyed in on the Pistons’ shooting deficiencies, limiting Duren’s operating space, particularly with non-shooting threats like Thompson on the floor. However, a perceived lack of physical dominance and missed looks he consistently made during the regular season suggest potential mental or undisclosed physical factors. Duren’s 25 minutes in Game 5 resulted in a plus/minus of -16 for the Pistons.

The coaching decisions regarding the center rotation also warrant scrutiny. Isaiah Stewart played only 11 minutes, mostly in the first half, during which Detroit held a +12 advantage. Conversely, Paul Reed, the team’s third-string center, did not play a single second in the first three quarters but then played all 17 minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime consecutively—an exceptionally rare occurrence in a close playoff game. This usage pattern raises questions about the coaching staff’s trust in Reed and its implications for Duren.

As the Pistons face an elimination game, they may need to consider more extreme lineup adjustments. If Stewart and Reed are deemed more effective, deploying them over Duren could be a necessary, albeit complicated, move. Duren is a restricted free agent this offseason, and such a decision could impact his relationship with the organization. However, with their season on the line, the Pistons have exhausted their margin for error. Game 5’s outcome, while influenced by a controversial call, was ultimately shaped by self-inflicted wounds, and similar mistakes could cost them the series.

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