The Detroit Pistons weren’t good last year and they aren’t supposed to be this year. But you would still expect them to keep track of how many players they have on the field.
A promising start to the season turned into a disappointing collapse against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, with Detroit outscored 33-19 in the fourth quarter of a 115-109 loss. One of those allowed points was very avoidable.
Clinging to a 98-96 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Pistons took the ball with six players on the court ready to play. The referees quickly called a technical foul on the team for having too many men on the court.
The subsequent work on the telestrator was impeccable:
The game was the Pistons’ debut for new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who heatedly argued his case with the referees as they gave the Pacers a free throw, which was taken by Bennedict Mathurin.
The rest of the game didn’t go much better for Detroit.
It was a bad start to the season, but not without positives for the Pistons, especially when you remember that you need to play well for three quarters to make a fourth-quarter collapse possible. Cade Cunningham continued to look like a rising star with 28 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while five other players scored in double figures.
After five consecutive seasons without making the playoffs, the Pistons are desperate to get out of their rebuilding phase and become competitive again, to the point that they spent $65 million to fire head coach Monty Williams and hire Bickerstaff.
