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CLEVELAND — Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff lamented the free throw disparity after Detroit’s Game 4 loss to the Cavaliers on Monday night.
The Pistons attempted 12 free throws to Cleveland’s 34 in a 112-103 defeat that evened the Eastern Conference semifinals series, 2-2. Donovan Mitchell, who torched the Pistons to the tune of 43 points, attempted more free throws (15) than Detroit did as a team.
“It’s unacceptable. It is,” Bickerstaff said. “We didn’t do enough obviously to help ourselves, and I’ll start there. But ever since we came to Cleveland, the whistle has changed. There’s no way that one guy on their team shoots more free throws than our team. We’re not a settle team. We’re not a jump shooting team. We drive the ball, attack the paint.
“So, what was done out there tonight, it’s frustrating, but we can’t allow that to be the reason why, because we didn’t play well enough and play to the best of our capabilities.
“But again, you look at the foul count, you look at the disparity, and that’s hard to overcome, and you wonder the reason why. It’s interesting since [Cavaliers coach] Kenny [Atkinson] made his comments publicly about us, the whistles changed in this series.”
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The Pistons attempted 55 free throws in the first two games of the series, both Detroit victories at home. In the past two games, the Pistons have shot 34. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers attempted 43 free throws in the first two games and 52 in the past two matchups.
Before Game 3, Atkinson told reporters that Detroit’s physicality had played a role in the Cavaliers turning the ball over a combined 30 times in the first two games of the series.
“I give them a lot of credit. It’s completely within how the game’s being called today,” Atkinson said. “So we have to find a way to, if it’s [a] clutch and grab and hold game and there’s not a lot of freedom of movement, we have to find a way to get separation. If they’re going to chuck and swipe, you’ve got to be able to protect the ball.”
The Pistons held a 56-52 lead at halftime but allowed a 24-0 run, including 22 consecutive points to begin the second half, tied for the second-longest unanswered scoring run by any team in a playoff game in the play-by-play-era (since 1997-98), according to ESPN Research.
Detroit turned the ball over 20 times, tied for its second most in a game this postseason.
“We played two different games tonight, but it is what it is,” said Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, who scored 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting and had a game-high five turnovers. “I realized early on it was going to be one of those type of nights. I got hit on my arm early. I didn’t get a whistle. Everybody didn’t want to look at me after that. I kind of knew what it was.
“So just playing the game, we can’t allow it to get to us. That’s part of the game. The home team, you never know how it’s going to be. It’s going to be hard when you’re on the road. So just controlling our emotions, controlling what we control and playing the best brand of basketball we can play. That’s not why we lost the game, but I mean, I don’t know what was it? Twenty free throw disparity or something like that. I mean, it definitely doesn’t help.”
