Three quick observations from Thursday night’s 111-105 win over the New York Knicks…
SLAM DUNK – The Pistons closed their first TNT Thursday night showcase in six years much the way they began it: They made their first four triples of the game in the first three minutes and led by 27 before halftime, then – after the Knicks came back to lead by two, improbably enough – they made three straight triples in the final 2:01 to win a wild one at The Palace. Anthony Tolliver put the Pistons ahead by one after New York took its first and only lead of the game with 2:14 to play, draining a triple off a nice feed from Reggie Jackson 13 seconds later. Then Jackson drained triples on Detroit’s next two possessions and they held on to avoid what looked like a catastrophic loss. After limiting the New York Knicks to 36 points in the first half – one point off their best defensive first half of the season – the Pistons allowed 35 third-quarter points as the Knicks pulled within seven points. Arron Afflalo, 1 of 5 in the first half, hit his first seven shots of the second half. The Knicks hit 13 of 14 foul shots in the third quarter, finally catching the Pistons with 2:45 to play on a Langston Galloway triple and going ahead on the next possession – after Jackson missed two free throws – and then taking the lead on Lopez’s layup. Jackson scored eight of his 21 points in the last two minutes for the Pistons, who had six players in double figures.
FREE THROW – It’s good to be 19. Stanley Johnson averages 23 minutes a game and Stan Van Gundy said earlier this week he’d like to get him more. The injury to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – as of game time, the MRI of his right groin had been administered but not yet interpreted – means he’ll get all the minutes he can handle. Johnson sat for less than two minutes of the first half and finished his second career start with a team-best 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 44 minutes. He didn’t get to coast on the defensive end, either, spending most of the night checking Arron Afflalo. Johnson made two big baskets with the Knicks chopping at their lead in the fourth quarter, scoring on a layup in traffic and spinning free for a 16-foot jump shot. The game capped a rigorous seven-day stretch that saw the Pistons play five games, losing to three of the top four teams in the East (Cleveland, Toronto, Boston, the latter two on the road) and beating the two New York teams. The Pistons close the pre-All-Star break portion of the schedule with three more games over the next six days.
3-POINTER – Marcus Morris was more often than not the first Pistons starter to the bench, usually removed about eight minutes into the game, so that he could come back to anchor the second unit for the second quarter. But Stanley Johnson’s ability to guard shooting guards or small forwards equally well gave Stan Van Gundy the flexibility to sub for either Morris or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the matchups dictated. With Johnson now starting for Caldwell-Pope and Darrun Hilliard assuming Johnson’s former role as first wing off the bench, that flexibility is limited. Hilliard doesn’t have the physical stature to guard many starting small forwards, so Johnson will have to stay on the floor to shift spots and allow Morris to come back to start the second quarter. The other option for Van Gundy is to replace Caldwell-Pope with Johnson and essentially replicate Johnson’s former role by splitting the 20-plus minutes he played between Hilliard and Reggie Bullock – using Hilliard at shooting guard and Bullock at small forward. Van Gundy used Hilliard for Morris in the first half, but subbed him in for Johnson in the second half.
