For a fleeting few minutes on Sunday, it looked like the Detroit Pistons could, and maybe would, jump out to a 1-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
They didn’t.
Why?
LeBron James, mostly.
But Reggie Jackson’s technical late in the fourth quarter, with the Pistons still in striking distance, didn’t help matters. And head coach Stan Van Gundy subsequently wasn’t happy with his point guard afterward, per ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell:
After it was over, a reporter wondered if the technical came at a bad time. Van Gundy was quick with his response.
“That’s a statement — not a question,” Van Gundy said before adding, “and correct.”
A few moments later, Stan Van Gundy expounded on his feelings.
“I think [Jackson] knows the message,” Van Gundy said. “You cannot, cannot get a technical foul. Understand you’re frustrated, and you think you got fouled — whatever, doesn’t matter. First of all, we can’t give them away, even in the first quarter. We don’t have the margin for error against this team to get those, but certainly not at that point in the game.
“One point’s huge. You just — it can’t be done. He knows that. I’m sure if you ask him, he’ll tell you. I haven’t talked to him since the incident. I’m sure he’d tell you the same thing. You can’t get that. You’re angry at the referee, and so because I’m mad at the referee, the way I’ll show my anger is give the Cavaliers a point. It doesn’t make sense.”
One point was not the difference in this game. The Pistons lost 106-101 and only built a lead in the first place because the Cavaliers remain utterly incompetent whenever LeBron James isn’t on the floor, per ESPN Stats & Information:
In the 7 minutes that LeBron James was out of Game 1, the Cavaliers were outscored 23-10 and shot just 27 percent from the floor
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 18, 2016
Still, you don’t want to give up free points. Especially against the Cavaliers. And especially late in the game. And especially when that game is close.
No, the Pistons aren’t going to win this series. Even they took Game 1, it wouldn’t have mattered much. The Cavaliers probably would have played LeBron 48 minutes a night until they advanced. But this is still a valuable lesson for the 26-year-old Jackson, who is the primary pilot on a playoff team for the first time of his career.
It’s safe to say he won’t let his temper get the best of him in this series again.
