{"id":648,"date":"2026-05-18T05:03:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T05:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=648"},"modified":"2026-05-18T05:03:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T05:03:55","slug":"bickerstaff-says-pistons-will-learn-from-their-blowout-loss-in-game-7-against-the-cavaliers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=648","title":{"rendered":"Bickerstaff says Pistons will learn from their blowout loss in Game 7 against the Cavaliers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) is hugged by Duncan Robinson as Kevin Huerter, left, and Tolu Smith wait late in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game 7 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo\/Duane Burleson)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

DETROIT \u2014 The stunning turnaround season for the Detroit Pistons ended Sunday night with a harsh reminder of how difficult the final step can be.<\/p>

Read more Mitchell scores 26 and the Cavaliers rout the Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 to reach the East finals<\/a><\/p>\n

After winning 60 games and earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons were overwhelmed at home by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who rolled to a 125-94 victory in Game 7<\/a> of the Eastern Conference semifinals.<\/p>\n

Detroit, which forced the deciding game with a road win Friday night, never found its footing offensively and struggled to match Cleveland\u2019s physicality and pace from the opening tip. The Pistons shot just 35.3% from the floor, were outscored 58-34 in the paint and trailed by as many as 35 points in the second half.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sucked,\u201d All-Star Cade Cunningham said. \u201cBeing back home, definitely wanted to get this win for the fans. Reminded me of last year, losing on the home court. It\u2019s not a great feeling.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I hadn\u2019t been thinking about the offseason, so my mind\u2019s been racing now, trying to figure out what I got to do, what it\u2019s going to look like.\u201d<\/p>\n

The abrupt ending came just two years after Detroit endured one of the worst seasons in NBA history. The Pistons finished 14-68 during the 2023-24 season and set an NBA single-season record with 28 consecutive losses before emerging this year as one of the league\u2019s biggest surprises under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.<\/p>\n

Despite the lopsided defeat, Bickerstaff refused to call the ending a disappointment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a disappointment at all,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cNot ever will I be disappointed in these guys. These guys every single day give us what they got. So it is not a disappointment. It\u2019s a loss, and it\u2019s a tough loss. But that adjective will never be used.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Trump plans to build helipad at White House<\/a><\/p>\n

Bickerstaff repeatedly praised the growth and resilience of a roster that rapidly developed into a contender.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis team is awesome, and they\u2019re a special group of guys,\u201d he said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t be more appreciative of how they allow us to coach them, work with them every single day. The spirit they carry, their willingness to grow, their willingness to sacrifice. It\u2019s a special group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ausar Thompson said the loss will fuel the Pistons moving forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to get better as a team, but I\u2019m focused on what I can do to not be in this situation again,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cIt sucks, but you can\u2019t take it back. We already lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cleveland controlled the game almost immediately.<\/p>\n

The Cavaliers turned Detroit\u2019s cold shooting into transition opportunities while building a 31-22 lead after one quarter. After the Pistons scored the first two baskets of the second, Cleveland answered with a 24-9 run to take command and carried a 64-47 advantage into halftime.<\/p>\n

Detroit pulled within 17 in the third quarter before Cleveland buried any comeback hopes behind a dominant stretch from Donovan Mitchell, who scored 15 of his 26 points in the period.<\/p>\n

Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each added 23 points for the Cavaliers, while Evan Mobley finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds as Cleveland advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had X-factor guys that had the ability to contribute,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cWe knew it was going to be a tough series and a tough test for us, but just like we did last year, we\u2019ll learn from it. We\u2019ll put it in our pocket, we\u2019ll get better from it, and next year we\u2019ll grow and be a better team.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Josef Newgarden and Kyle Kirkwood fall out of the pole mix early during Indianapolis 500 Pole Day<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/nba<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The stunning turnaround season for the Detroit Pistons ended Sunday night with a harsh reminder of how difficult the final step can be<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nBickerstaff says Pistons will learn from their blowout loss in Game 7 against the Cavaliers - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=648\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bickerstaff says Pistons will learn from their blowout loss in Game 7 against the Cavaliers - 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