John U. Bacon: Pistons are "tough, tough, tough" despite series loss to Knicks

The Pistons magical turnaround season is over.

The Knicks came from behind in the closing minutes of Game 6 to beat Detroit 116-113 in their NBA playoff series Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.

Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to talk about that and more from the world of sports.

Doug Tribou: Game 6 was right in line with the rest of the series. Back and forth, the Knicks led by 15 at one point, looked like they might pull away. The Pistons have been a never-say-die team all season, rallied to lead by 7 in the final minutes, then couldn’t hang on as the Knicks rallied. What stood out to you about the game?

John U. Bacon: Well, that was about it. Look, this is not a phenomenal Pistons team. They're sixth place in the NBA East, of course, but man, they are tough, tough, tough. They could have bagged it several times, as you pointed out. They're already down three games to two, kept on coming back, and they could've won this game.

And man, they could have won almost all of them, Doug. So a very tough team, and J.B. Bickerstaff deserves credit. He's the head coach. He's got them playing defense. He's got them thinking differently. The turnaround has been stunning.

DT: Last week, you said that the series had shown the Pistons and the Knicks were “equal” despite being the Knicks being the higher seed. And in the final four games of the series, as you alluded to there, the margins of victory were 2 points, 1 point, and then 3 and 3. It really doesn’t get closer than that in an NBA playoff series. What did give the Knicks that ever so slight edge over Detroit?

JUB: Well, they've got two stars and the Pistons have one. Pistons have Cade Cunningham and a lot of good, solid role players, but the Knicks have got Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and in at least two of those games, those guys made the difference. So this roster can't quite get there.

But I want to go back to your point that a week ago, I said something that actually turned out to be true. So let's not forget that.

DT: [Laughs] Wow, we are noting that in the book...

JUB: Thank you, thank you very much.

DT: There's plenty of empty pages in the book, I might add [Laughs].

JUB: [Laughs] Thank you for that, also.

DT: The Pistons and their fans are certainly disappointed this morning. But let’s take a minute to appreciate the season this team had. Detroit went from 14 wins last season — one of the worst seasons in NBA history — to 44 regular-season wins and a playoff berth. Huge growth for Cade Cunningham, who was selected to the All-Star team for the first time in his career. What are your takeaways from the season as a whole?

JUB: This team is fun to watch. My friends keep on talking about it. I was watching the game down here in Dallas in a crowded room on a big screen and people who don't care about the Pistons were having fun watching this team. They were not fun to watch last year. They were miserable, miserable, miserable.

So again, great job, front office on down. They've built a very good team and if you're a basketball fan, you can't wait to see this team next year. The Pistons, the Lions, and the Tigers have all mounted great comebacks the last few years. The only one that hasn't is the Red Wings, and they've been the best team otherwise the previous three decades. So, strange days in Detroit.

DT: In other news, Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller is leaving the job. Deputy athletic director Jennifer Smith and men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo will serve as the co-interim ADs. MSU has not given a reason and Haller is staying on for another week or so. Haller was a former deputy AD, promoted to the top job in 2021. He fired former head football coach Mel Tucker and hired current head football coach Jonathan Smith. What else will you remember about his years in the top job as AD?

JUB: Well, the answer is not much, which might be his problem. He made a very good hire in Adam Nightingale, the men's hockey coach. We've talked about him many times. A great, great hire, to say the least, but not much else, frankly.

And if I had to guess, [the issue] is that Michigan State is behind on NIL — name, image, and likeness — the paying of players. It's a whole new operation these days. And I think, Haller, that probably passed him by. So basketball and football both suffer when they don't have money coming in. That's my guess, keep in mind. I really don't know, and they've not given a reason. But it's a new era, and Haller, I think, is not quite there.

Editor's notes: Some quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.