Pistons learn hard playoff lesson from Knicks. Now they have to respond

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NEW YORK — At the conclusion of the Detroit Pistons’ 123-112 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 1 on Saturday, Tobias Harris made an attempt to rally his group.

Harris went to each of his teammates to dap them up prior to heading off the floor. While it may have seemed insignificant, there was meaning behind Harris’ gesture. He trails only Dennis Schröder on the Pistons in playoff games, so he felt it was necessary to express to his younger teammates the importance of staying even-keeled after dropping the first game of a series.

“It’s a series. You can’t get too high, can’t get too low,” Harris said from the postgame podium. “Each team will make an adjustment, but overall, it’s just about mentally staying locked into the moment and being ready for the next game. For this group, with guys having their first playoff experience, it’s just (about) understanding it stinks to lose but it’s all about how you come back the next night.”

Detroit’s trio of veterans in Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley kept it afloat as long as they could but didn’t have enough.

Beasley shifted momentum in Detroit’s favor shortly after checking in during the first quarter. Harris kept the Pistons in the game through the bulk of the first half, scoring 22 of his 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from 3. Hardaway kept his group within striking distance at the beginning of the second half, going 4-of-4 from the field for 12 points in the third quarter.

Just give Unc the ball https://t.co/a6M7i0YXuU pic.twitter.com/9ShVbQXlWl

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 19, 2025

But the Knicks’ 21-0 run was the story of the game. Detroit went from a 98-90 lead with 9:16 remaining in the game to trailing New York 111-98 with 4:49 left. The Knicks completely flexed their playoff experience and reminded the Pistons they were a team with an average age of 25.2 and, for most of the roster, little to no playoff experience.

Cade Cunningham finished with 21 points on 8-of-21 shooting, 12 assists, six rebounds and six turnovers during his playoff debut. The 23-year-old primarily drew a defensive assignment from OG Anunoby, who was dialed in on Cunningham all evening.

The next step for Cunningham and the Pistons: What can they learn from their fourth-quarter collapse?

“How much the little things add up,” Harris said. “You can look at the offensive boards, 50-50 balls. The turnovers, that hurt us, as well. For us, every game is a learning experience. There were a few things we can take. Defensively, (we) gave up too many 3s to them, let certain guys get hot out there and that can hurt you.

“We’ve just got to do better with our overall execution on the defensive end. Especially in the fourth, giving up 40 points, that’s way too many points in a playoff game.”

While each game is a learning experience, Detroit must learn on the fly quickly. New York flat-out dominated the Pistons during that final frame. The Knicks forced six Detroit turnovers, converted them into 11 points and outscored the Pistons 26-10 in paint points.

Jalen Brunson also got it rolling during the fourth, chipping in 12 of his 34 points. Cameron Payne came alive during the game’s biggest moments, as well. Payne dropped 11 of his 14 during the last 12 minutes.

But despite the fourth-quarter implosion, Cunningham didn’t lack confidence after his first playoff loss.

“We’ve just got to clean up the little things,” Cunningham said. “(We) turned the ball over, and then (we have to) make sure we get good shots on the rim each trip. And then we’ve got to cut out their second-chance points. It was a solid game though three quarters, but (during) the fourth quarter, there were a couple mistakes that we’ll clean up.”

Harris offered a similar assessment when asked about the locker room confidence level.

“All-time high,” Harris said without hesitation. “We’re in the playoffs, we know what time it is. We don’t have anybody in there pouting or holding their head down. We know what we’re made of, we know what we worked so hard for every single day of the year. We’re ready for Game 2.

“We’ll come in tomorrow, watch some film, get on the court, do some things to help us improve and make some adjustments. But this group is always about bouncing back and making sure our focus and our energy level is where it needs to be.”

Coach on learning from game one pic.twitter.com/t4wiikKHaE

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 20, 2025

Rather than this being a demoralizing loss for Detroit since it came so close to winning, the Pistons seem encouraged by the first three quarters. Detroit’s first opportunity to show what it learned from New York’s 21-0 run comes Monday, when the Knicks host Game 2 at Madison Square Garden.

What gives Detroit this sense of optimism?

“We were the better team for three quarters, I thought,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “These are learning lessons for us, and we have to be honest with ourselves when it comes to that. We talked pregame about what experience is, and this is experience. Now you come back the next game and how quickly do you learn from it?

“You’ve got guys in their first playoff game. (They are) understanding what playoff basketball is, what closing a playoff basketball game is and how hard that is. It’s hard to win in the playoffs because people are laying it all out there. … Now we’ve got tape, we’ve got some experience, we can go back, break it down and be better in Game 2.”

(Photo of Tobias Harris driving between Karl-Anthony Towns, left, and Josh Hart: Wendell Cruz / Imagn Images

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