Pistons’ JB Bickerstaff makes tough admission after Game 1 loss to Magic

The first round of the NBA playoffs got off to a shocking start for the Detroit Pistons. Game 1 at Little Caesars Arena concluded with a 112-101 loss to the Orlando Magic.

Detroit has now lost control of home-court advantage as they find themselves down one game to the No. 8 seed Magic. The matchup opened up with a lethargic start by the Pistons. They struggled to find a rhythm offensively and could not manage to slow down the open looks generated by the Magic. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke to the media after the game about the problems he saw early and how they translated to the stunning loss.

“I thought we were a little rusty to start. Coming out, giving up a 35-point quarter; that’s not typical for us. It felt like we were just chasing them all night. We made some runs to get ourselves back in the ball game. Defensively, I didn’t think we were our best. Critical errors, mistakes that they made us pay for. Getting back used to playing at NBA speed, I think got a little bit,” Bickerstaff explained.

Despite the momentum coming into the playoff contest, the Pistons never led against the Magic. Each time they were able to bring the game down to one point or a tie, Orlando responded with a run to push their lead back to double digits.

The normal strengths of the Pistons were limited by the Magic from start to finish. Detroit ranked No. 1 in the NBA all regular season with points in the paint. However, they were outscored 54-34  by Orlando. The Pistons were also out-rebounded by the Magic 45-39 and surrendered 11 offensive rebounds. Orlando challenged Detroit’s identity as a physical team on both sides of the ball to help deliver the loss to the home team.

The Pistons also struggled to spread the ball and get the entire team involved offensively. They were limited to only 19 assists after averaging almost 28 per game during the regular season. All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham scored 39 points for the Pistons, but the secondary scoring around him was rather quiet. Veteran forward Tobias Harris was the only other Pistons player who scored in double figures with 17 points.

“It’s something we just need to pay attention to. I think they were spot on. There were times in the games where we got stagnant. I feel like that happened to us because we got down early. Then it felt like there was so much weight, and so much pressure on each possession,” Bickerstaff stated during the postgame press conference. “Then, we got to a point where we were just trying to do it all and help hit a home run every time. So, again, I thought there were moments where we found what we needed to do, and we just need to replicate that more often.”

Detroit will have a chance to right its wrongs from Game 1 on Wednesday for Game 2. Sitting in a 1-0 series hole is not ideal, but the Pistons have done a solid job of bouncing back from losses all season under Bickerstaff.