The Detroit Pistons squandered their 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers and are now facing a win-or-go-home game on the road on Friday. The Pistons have done an excellent job bouncing back every time they have had their backs against the wall all season. Pistons fans have every reason to believe that this team is capable of still winning this series, but head coach JB Bickerstaff has to make a few adjustments to give Detroit the best chance to win Game 6.
1- More Paul Reed, less Jalen Duren
This will be the most fascinating storyline of Game 6. Bickerstaff didn't play Jalen Duren for a single second in the fourth quarter and overtime. Paul Reed, who hadn't played at all the entire game, ended up playing the final 17 minutes.
Reed has outplayed Duren whenever he has been on the court all postseason. Bickerstaff has largely stuck with Duren more than he should have, given his playoff performance. With his back against the wall, will he trust his All-Star center or third-stringer?
Detroit is +8 in the 41 minutes Reed has played in this series and -19 in Duren's 149 minutes. The answer is obvious.
2- Time to change matchups to defend James Harden & Evan Mobley
Cleveland took advantage of Daniss Jenkins and Tobias Harris in Game 5 by making the James Harden-Evan Mobley two-man play their primary action. They seemingly got a good shot on most occasions when they went at Jenkins and Harris. The Cavs had an impressive 121.5 offensive rating with Harden on the floor on Wednesday. That has to come down for the Pistons to have a shot on Friday.
Perhaps the way to do so is to shake up the defensive matchups. Ausar Thompson can be deployed on Harden or Mobley, and the Pistons can switch that action to take away the two-man game. Thompson has been mostly guarding Donovan Mitchell in this series, but the star guard sprained his ankle in Game 5 and looked hobbled down the stretch. It was Harden whom the Pistons struggled to guard.
Maybe Cade Cunningham can go back to guarding Harden more. Earlier in the series, Cade did a great job on the veteran star, but as the series extended, Cunningham has been guarding Dean Wade or Max Strus for longer stretches so that he can conserve his energy. In a do-or-die scenario, Cunningham's point-of-attack defense may be the best chance the Pistons have to slow down the Cavs attack.
3- Embrace and lean in to Pistons identity
The Pistons have made it this far by being meaner, bringing more physicality, and playing with more intensity than their opponents. If they are going to bounce back in this series, they have to go back to the basics and deploy the style of play that has served them well all season.
That means that the Pistons can't afford to lose in effort categories. Detroit has to win the game through pressuring the ball, forcing turnovers, and grabbing offensive rebounds. It's not going to look pretty, but that is the Detroit way.
The Pistons have the physical advantage over the Cavaliers. They can put out lineups that can overwhelm Cleveland athletically and physically. Whether that means more Ron Holland, more Javonte Green, and more Isaiah Stewart, the Pistons have to make life miserable for the Cavs.
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