As soon as the final horn sounded on Saturday night in the 123-112 victory of the Knicks, the Pistons striker and the Native of Long Island, Tobias Harris, went to the bank of their team and went to the line, offering words of encouragement to their group.
“It’s a series,” Harris reminded them. “You can’t get too high, you can’t get off too much.”
For three quarters of Saturday’s game, the Pistons seemed the best team.
But it was the final and most important frame of 12 minutes, where everything was unleashed for Detroit.
The Knicks stalked the Pistons with a 21-0 race in the last quarter, turning an eight-point deficit into an advantage of 13 points with 4:49 remaining.
For some teams, especially a young group like the Pistons who had three headlines experiencing the NBA playoffs for the first time on Saturday, that type of collapse of the late game could be demoralizing.
Not for pistons, according to Harris.
In fact, Harris said Detroit’s trust remains in a “historical maximum.”
“We are in the playoffs. We know what time it is,” said Harris. “This group is always about recovering and making sure we are focusing, our energy level is where it should be. That is why veterinarians like my millet are here to make the spirit of this group ready. Go to game 2”.
The immediate sequelae of the game on Saturday left a Underado and flavor for the Pistons, but coach JB Bickerstaff believes that his team will finally be better to have that late explosion.
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“These are learning lessons for us,” said BickerStaff. “We have to be honest with our comforts for that. We talk before the game about what the experience is and this is the experience. Now comes the next game and how fast do you learn from it?
“You have boys in your first playoff game and understanding what the playoffs basketball is and what is the closure of a playoffs basketball game and how difficult it is.”
The largest lesson in the last quarter should be the speed with which small things, such as offensive rebounds, 50-50 balls and ball losses, can add and be harmful to the team.
In general, Harris and BickerStaff were proud of the way the pistons kept their composure despite being the villains under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
“[The Knicks] He did what they were supposed to do in game 1, “said BickerStaff.” Now we have tape, we have some experience. We can return, break it down and be better in game 2 ”.