J.B. Bickerstaff on the last play of regulation: “Jarrett Allen fouled Ausar. It’s clear. He trips him when he’s going for a loose ball. End of game situation, that’s tough.”
This dude wants incidental foot to foot contact with both players looking and moving up the floor at a loose ball 78 feet from his basket to decide a playoff game
Yeah, let’s just decide the game on a softer ticky tack foul call that is legitimately one of the softest foul calis I’ve ever seen called in the last minute of a close game instead. That’s much better /s
The Cavs ended the game on a 23-10 which includes OT, I have no idea what one thing you’re talking about that made all of that happen
What the hell are you talking about?
The foul called on Tobias Harris that sent Mobley to the line
You think that decided the game lmao 🤣 😂 😆 😅
Considering it was the last scoring act of regulation that sent it to OT, I don’t see how there’s an argument that it didn’t
Because the Pistons were up 9 with 3 mins left, this did not decide the game. Piston’s lack of scoring options did.
The nba jam rules officiating makes this claim moot. Them being up 9 means the refs will call it against them 9⁄10 times. It’s a dog shit league making a mockery of sport. And I have no dog in this race.
Typical highlight watchers, did the other 47 minutes of regulation not matter then lol.
I mean… this goes both ways. If they HAD called the “incidental foot to foot contact with both players looking and moving up the floor at a loose ball 78 feet from his basket to decide a playoff game” would it actually have decided the playoff game or would the other 47 minutes of regulation have done that?
So all you care about is the last seconds of the game not everything that happened before it? Up nine with three minutes get they had several chances to put the game away and couldn’t do so.
I care abour refs influencing the game, the choke by the pistons is irrelevant to refs and terrible calls. Just because they had chances to out the game away doesnt mean missed/bad calls matter less.
Refs influencing the game says the thunder guy lolol. Thats rich.
Good thing you added that /s or else people wouldn’t be able to tell that you were being sarcastic
People say this but then the moment you don’t use /s everyone seems to forget what sarcasm is.
calling a foul to tie the game is fine. calling a foul to decide the game is lame.
if the pistons are down 2 and that play happens, I won’t be too upset if they call the foul and give ausar a chance to tie it at the line.
but a tied game? no, you don’t call that. when the referees do something right we have to commend them. they let the players decide the game in overtime.
This thinking is so god damn stupid. A foul is a foul. It should not matter at what point the foul is.
You might as well say “no fouls within the last 2 minutes of the game.”
I would love if we could come up with some type of way to completely get rid of free throws in clutch time. I have ideas and have had them for a long time
In a perfect NBA the ausar play would never be a foul. The entire play where Detroit “fouls” multiple times and the end where Allen “fouls” him. All soft ticky tack nonsense that should never be called and it’s good that it wasn’t this time.
Ehh. The reason fouls exist in general is to negate a disadvantage or prevent an advantage that illegal contact creates during a basketball game. This foul changed nothing. Detroit recovering the ball on their own side of the court by the sideline with 1 second left wouldn’t have changed the end of the game.
It’s often possible to go “by the book” and say “a foul is a foul” and call a foul almost every single play on both sides of the court and end the game with 100 fouls. But that’s not what happens.
On this final play, it’s a close call. Sure in slow motion, it’s a foul. But in the moment it’s some legs/feet contact on a loose ball with 2 guys moving toward the sideline with 1 second in the game with the game tied. To call that foul it’s got to be overwhelming in the moment. Handing the game to Detroit (when the result of a foul not happening would be the exact same as when it did… Overtime) would be too much in my opinion.
So you’re saying the definition of a foul should change depending on the score? You’ve gotta be trolling.
I think the definition of a foul should be changed entirely. If I had it my way that is. In a perfect nba where physical play is the norm.
But yes, if they are going to call soft fouls then there is a time and place. You do not call soft fouls to decide a game at the end of regulation in a playoff game. Is that really such a difficult thing to make sense of?
Completely agree with your first paragraph, completely disagree with your second.
Fouls should be called consistently the entire game. Every foul called throughout the game ultimately affects the final result. So if a soft touch foul is called in the first quarter that puts a guy on Team A to the line and he sinks both FTs, that affects the final result. Plus it could contribute to a guy on Team B getting in foul trouble.
If there’s 1 second left in the game, whether it’s a blowout or a tie game, if that same touch foul occurs on Team B, then it needs to be called. It’s not fair that Team A got 2 points from that call earlier in the game, but then Team B doesn’t get a chance at FTs just because there’s 1 second left and the game is tied.
Ultimately, this goes back to your first paragraph about changing the definition of fouls entirely, allowing more physical play, and eliminating soft fouls and flopping. Games would be much fairer due to less intervention from the officials. Let them play basketball.
Lmao you say that like there wasn’t a 10 personal foul deficit and 18 free throw attempt deficit built on what you would call a “soft ticky tack fouls”.
A foul is a foul. Either call the foul or don’t. Me personally I love the play on/no call mindset, but when they’re calling soft fouls for Cleveland down the stretch, it’s only fair to call soft fouls for Detroit.
I agree that it’s mostly incidental contact, but Detroit had several possessions where they played clean defense and got called for illegal defense.
Just call it consistently man.
Hard fouls only
You mean Allen’s arse hitting Ausar and knocking him over, flog
he kinda sounds like he gonna cry
His voice is shot after coaching a game
makes sense
He’s got coach voice, he can’t help it.
true
Its all he has. He screams at the refs like everyone else. It gets old
He always does. Dude is in a perma crying state
He also low key doesn’t care for Jarrett. There was that incident where JB criticized Allen for not playing hurt and Donovan took Jarrett’s side.
They didn’t lose because of fouls they lost because they blew a 9 point lead in 2 mins and because he has a love affair with Duren. He’s being a crybaby
Yeah JB is a clown and that was ridiculous by him on his way out
Bro you had a 9 point lead with 2 minutes left I don’t want to hear it
What you want to hear doesn’t matter. He’s objectively correct. No team is required to play perfectly in order to expect competent officiating at the most crucial time in the game.
It was like anytime the pistons went on a run the refs were there to reel it back in. The foul to tie the game was egregious while on the other end lavert got fouled by Harden, and Reed got fouled hard on his shot. The cavs having 1 foul through 1.5 quarters and 4 at the half is laughable.
when are the cavs supposed to even foul??? at the half, 20 of the Pistons points came on free fastbreak opportunities. no one is fouling on those 10 entire possessions. meanwhile, that is 10 entire possessions that detroit has to defend, and detroit lead the league in personal fouls in the regular season.
I have never ever understood why any people think it’s remotely relevant to cite fouls called or free throws taken as indications of reffing disparity while ignoring any and all context about how the game was played. It’s just not relevant without that context.
i was losing my mind after game 4, because everywhere online; here, IG, YT, sports podcasts, everything, was full of people saying the refs gave the cavs the game. meanwhile, detroit was not driving at all and settling midrange jumpshots with low % of foul yield. + cleveland does not faceguard everything like detroit does, so they’re less likely to commit the kinds of fouls detroit commits on those same midrange j’s when the cavs take them.
i was begging for clips or timestamps or examples of PLAYS where the refs swallowed their whistle or robbed Detroit and literally nobody responded to me on any platform with a single example. same with this game. Harden had one annoying 3PA with the Tobias Harris closeout that lead to fouls, which is an annoying play to watch result in FTs, but is still technically a foul. otherwise… Detroit is physical. they hack. they foul. they get called and then whine when they have fouls at the end of the game.
anyways, the FTA disparity = refs are biased is such a deeply casual take, i shouldn’t get mad when casual spaces share it. it just gets under my skin tho.
Good writeup, and yeah it’s not surprising that a team that relies on fouling a lot and getting away with a lot to generate an advantage will rack up more fouls in a game with a softer whistle. The Pistons just fell apart at the end, as they did throughout the game for what felt like multiple possessions at a time.
Faceguard Harden and he’ll punish you by drawing a foul and getting 3 free throws. Don’t like it, Jenkins? Then don’t be so aggressively physical with him. His little tantrum as he went to the bench after that play was truly pathetic.
And if they get the calls right all game pistons would have a bigger lead than 9 with 2 minutes left and they win
Pistons fans (coaches too ig) really bitching about not getting their asses bailed out by a call 80 ft away with 0.8 sec left rather than being mad they went 0-9 with 2 shot clock violations while blowing a 9 point lead at home with 2:30 left
Also, on the same play Mitchell was fouled. Everybody knows they’re reluctant to let a foul call decide a playoff game, & I’m fine with that. I remember the Ravens winning a SB off of a no call in the endzone. Gotta earn it in the playoffs!
Genuinely what was the foul there on mitchell? Didnt see it clearly
Came across his body & hit shoulder & arm before the ball. Now should that have been called? Technically yes probably, but I get it. Its gotta be be egregious to let a foul decide a big game.
On the block? I watched the replay over and over just now and didnt see shoulder/ arm contact. It looked pretty clean. It’s why Mitchell lost the ball and his jump upwards towards the middle wasnt impeded.
That’s what I saw on the broadcast slow-motion replay. But again it’s a close call they’re didn’t give him, so whatever. It didn’t decide the game, OT happened. If they had lost it wouldn’t have been because of that.
Yeah they absolutely choked that 9 pt lead 🤣 kudos to your team
I don’t believe in them much so I’ll take a surprise win. I think we actually can guard KAT so if we make it, who knows.
NBA playoff games turn into rugby the last 1-2 min
Lmao stop with that gaslighting. Mitchell was not fouled at all, it was a clean strip.
The irony. Harden kicked his legs out on every shot and got bullshit “landing zone” fouls all game. Gtfo. Mitchell cried about not getting calls few games ago and the whistle discrepancy since has been profound af and not matching how the games played. It’s whatever, but to try bitching about “Pistons shouldn’t get a soft call there even though it was clearly a foul” is rich af considering that’s what’s kept the Cavs in this series. Sorry ass Cav fans.
& he got like 1 of those calls, the other he didn’t. It was a good call too btw, he landed in his space which is now illegal. They don’t want another Kawhi/Zaza situation
I don’t blame him, doesn’t want to roll his ankles on people consistently undercutting him.
It would have been the softest game winning call ever. I couldn’t imagine crying for that
Hey sorry but I’m so ignorant to this shit, but what does “IG” mean - let me know so I can talk to my kids.
“I guess”
Thank you 🙏🏻 genuinely appreciate it
The J.B. stands for just bitching
Someone listened to the hoop collective pod today LMAO
His signature move at this point
It’s honestly embarrassing he does it after every game they lose
Nah. He’s just standing up for his players. That’s about building trust and creating a positive locker room culture.
Until someone is out injured and JB takes a shot at them
They’ll learn when the Pistons grow tired of him & let him go.
I honestly don’t expect that to be called in the first five minutes of a game, let alone the last second of a game. If you aren’t calling the four or five other “fouls” on that last possession, you shouldn’t call that one.
But I’m going to ignore that Thompson stiff armed Allen right before that okay guys?
And also fouled Mitchell on the drive too
After Mitchell stiffed armed him.
It’s almost like the playoffs are physical and all that is always gonna be a no call.
Which cade and Harris do on every drive.
Thats laughable with harden
Harris drives like twice a game what’re you even talking about lmfao??? His post ups aren’t comparable plays at all
He drives, pushes off and shoots a mid range jumper. It’s why you guys get no calls. 2 pt FG don’t tell the whole story.
I do agree that not all 2 point attempts are created equally wrt foul likelihood. Don’t Agree w the original point
The strat is push off, jump into the guy and get the foul like harden does.
Maybe back up a little and stop trying to face guard a HOFer
This feels like the annual argument I have with everyone about the Bengals getting shafted by all the flags at the end of Super Bowl 56. Everyone counters that with the egregious missed flag on Tee Higgins yanking Jalen Ramsey’s facemark which led to a Bengals TD…which I counter with the missed flag after Ramsey yanked Higgins’ jersey in the end zone earlier in the game forcing the Bengals to settle for a fg. I love how petty we can all get with bringing receipts for all the shit calls against our favorite teams 😂
With that being said, if they wanna nitpick fouls Thompson got away with slight contact on Mitchell after the strip and also got away with stiff arming Allen as they were going for the loose ball. I think it’s a fine no call at the end of the game. Pistons beat themselves by convincing themselves that they were victims of a no call. Not something I expect to see from a team whose identity is built around tough aggressive defense
Technically true but if they called that kind of foul then the entire league would become unwatchable overnight shit’s so commonplace.
I disagree. If they consistently call it right, players would stop doing that shit.
The more you allow that shit, the more players do it then the refs gets all the blame when they call it whenever they feel like it.
So do we want all of these ‘fouls’ called or what?
Is there a slo mo replay that shows a foul??? Looks clean af in the live feed
It was clean. The replay showed it.
Here you go sir: https://imgur.com/a/SDqeS7f
No he didn’t
9 point lead w/ 2:37 left to play.
crazy they lost that one
Game of runs. They clawed back, they ran out of gas.
I keep telling my homies that I’m very surprised my road cavs pulled this out the bag
Anyone who has watched this man coach a game in the last 5 years will agree he’s insufferable with how much he yells at the refs.
Like every other coach in the NBA?
No bud, most coaches do not act like JB does during games.
Bro loves complaining
Hated him as a coach he was the problem. Loser mentality.
Stop it with the complaining JB. Your team didn’t execute and thats why you lost. Stop blaming or expecting the refs to make the calls. In the playoffs, the fouls that you see in the regular season will not be called in the playoffs. Its a given. So all you can do is go out and play your game. Make adjustments for your team to have success. Unfortunately, the Cavs played better and your team didn’t. Simple as that.
Yeah the previous game it was alright to complain but this time the pistons had the lead and choked it away. Also they weren’t gunna call that trip foul regardless of the team
I think it’s the other way around. There were bad calls this game that made a huge difference, but last game was just a decimation. You can’t let a team go on a 23-0 run. Inexcusable
Anyone who thinks a tripping foul should have been called there is freaking crazy.
He sounds like a redditor. Not a good look coach.
JB has always been like that. Rides refs harder than any coach in the league. It definitely doesn’t help his cause, but he can’t stay out of his own way.
This guy is an all-time whiner. This is a TV product, and they’re not ending a game on an inadvertant trip that happened on the opposite end of the floor. Earn your buckets, JB. And by some other form or fashion than playing Cade the entire game and exhausting the poor kid.
I’m so tired of this guy bitching so much.
Can’t tell which coach bitches more. Him or Nick Nurse
Yep, let’s ignore the multiple fouls by the Pistons seconds before that on Allen and Mitchell. Typical Bickerstaff, he’s always spent so much time getting caught up in his feelings and complaining about calls instead of actually coaching.
There were no fouls before that. Watch the replay
Thompson literally has a hold of Allen’s arm fending him off. I posted a picture of it.
You guys had 18 more free throw attempts and flop when anyone does anything. Ask most neutral fans, you guys had a favorable whistle. Pistons still choked a lead they shouldn’t have, but you all still had a favorable whistle.
You could be right but counting ft differential is and always will be the lamest shit you can do
You mean like Mitchell did, directly leading to the Cavs getting more calls?
18 more free throws because they fouled more tf. What rule says teams need to have an equal amount of free throws.
Yeah that’s why we got Harden 🙄
Hope he plays like his usual self in close out scenarios!
Neutral fan here. The better team won and will win in 6.
I have a feeling JB is a good regular season coach but not a good playoffs coach
Why do you think Cleveland let him go?
I think the Cavs had the same feeling when they let him go
Eh I’m hard pressed to think anyone would do much better with these teams
They fouled Spida before that. Dude came from behind Donovan and swiped across his shoulders. Cry some more. Make shots.
all ball
Sure thing buddy. Enjoy the last little thread of hope ya have before your team goes bye bye. One seed. Losing 3 in a row. Cant shoot. But lets cry about the refs. I remember when Lebron was here in the early 2000s trying to cope after a first round (game) loss against the Washington Wizards. Get used to it dude. This is the Pistons maiden voyage. Theyll be back. Its a rite of passage. Even the warriors had to lose to the Spurs before Steph hit his stride.
You know we can watch the replay right? Ausar smacked Donovan on his forearm, which is what led to the loose ball
Imagine if he had a challenge to use instead of wasting it on a James Harden made basket?
We’re not established enough as a top team yet to have those kinds of calls go our way sadly. Can’t blow a lead late and let a guy like Charmin Mobley go on a 7-0 solo run
There has never been a moment in Bickerstaff’s life where tears weren’t flowing from his eyes
Can’t tell who cries to the refs more. Him or Nick Nurse
Damn dude stop talking
He sets a poor example for his team and they follow.
Poor guy shouldn’t have used his challenge so early then :)
I would bet my life they stick with no call even if it was challenged. Zero way they call that weak foul.
i didn’t agree with bickerstaff complaining the last 2 games but he’s right this time. harden should’ve had 2 offensive fouls with the egregious leg kick outs on 3s
He definitely straddles the line between natural shooting motion and unnatural kickout but I didn’t see any tonight that cross that line. Harris doesn’t do himself any favors by landing so far into Harden’s space. Harden lands a bit inside the arc but when the defender lands just as much outside the arc, it’s on them.
there was 2 moments where harden was literally gonna land on his ass first before his feet regardless if there was someone in front of him due to how far out his legs were kicked out
Learn ball
you don’t think that airballed 3 was a clear unnatural kickout?
They literally reviewed both of them and decided that neither one was a foul on Harden, so you do not understand how the rule works.
The rules don’t matter. It’s how these situations are interpreted. They called one kickout a foul tonight and decided another one was not. It’s not a matter of the rules. It’s what they think they see and what they want to call.
That’s how on-the-fly calls work, yes.
Challenges (which both were) are mostly letter-of-the-law, though.
It’s Thompson’s fault for not kicking his feet at Allen, flailing his arms around, and throwing his head back.
Get to floppin boys. Don said they were goi g to do it and now are on a literal historic run of calls in their favor.
I want to see Duran go flying when Schroeder bumps into him.
Duren would have to be in the game for that
You guys choked a 6 point lead 😵
9!!
Could have had a foul called on the Pistons before that, if you’re going to nit-pick. But JB has always bitched about calls.
Bruh be crying every game
Ausar also just knocked away Allen’s entire arm. DET fouled first
Wild that he’s blaming the refs for this loss
He does so after every loss. JB Bitcherstaff
I’m genuinely trying to put my bias aside. I really do not think he fouled him. He tripped himself and as he’s always falling down, JA is falling with him and his foot taps his foot
Ehh. I definitely wouldn’t say he trips himself. He definitely falls because of the contact with JA’s foot. It’s just that the contact was mutual and inadvertent. Pistons didn’t have possession yet so why should that type of contact be a foul on JA? Not ever how it’s called in a loose ball situation. Imagine wanting to be bailed out by that weak ass call with 0.8 seconds left and 80 ft from your basket.
They want the W gift wrapped!! 🎁
even though i always agreed with Thibs when he did it, i really appreciate mike brown being firm in his no complaining about the refs rule (most of the time). i think the players really follow suit and it forces you to take accountability from top to bottom as a team.
you guys gave up a 9 point lead with 2 minutes left. reffing was not the issue
This sounds like a whole lot of womp womp.
That play is a play on, no one had possession and there wasn’t a push
Accidental not purposeful
i don’t know if they had a challenge left, but can they challenge that, regardless of who touched the ball last, just to see if there was a proximate foul?
No mention from JB of Ausar having a hold of Allen’s arm before he trips?
as a Cavs fan, i love that their coach is so focused on the reffing and not winning the games
lol
All this dude does is whine and complain. Shut up and don’t put yourself in that position in the first place
If Mitch ever complains about this kinda “missed call” I’m going to light his ass on fire in the comments.
I can’t imagine calling that.
And the next manager of Real Madrid is…..
We can see the replay JB. Ausar smacked Mitchell on his forearm as he went up for a shot. Which led to the loose ball and Ausar being tripped by Allen.
You can’t complain about the Thompson no call while ignoring the no call on Mitchell
Lol, how about the foul that his team just got away with? Definitely not a clean strip.
Up 7 with 2 mins to go U choked shut up
Bicker them staffs
Name is Bickerstaff. He bickers about the staff. Kojima level writing at play here.
“That’s Tough”
Thats Detroit. Pistons in 7.
Jesus, all I’ve heard for 3 straight games is Pistons fans and JB whine about calls. At some point take some accountability. They play some of the most physical ball in the league, got more fouls called on them than any other team this year due to that, and act shocked when there is a free throw disparity.
You can’t have it both ways, you don’t get to be extremely physical to the point of being rough, AND win the free throw battle.
Bickerstaff hates Jarrett Allen
Ausar pretty clearly hits Mitchell’s wrist to knock the ball loose to begin with, imagine whining about this.
Cringe loser of a coach
He is correct but for some reason people here love defending the NBA for some inexplicable reason and then act surprised when the product gets worse every single year.
Edit: Case in point, every comment in here is defending the officiating LMAO, never disappoints, love instantly being proven right
If we’re going to play the cry because a ref didn’t want to blow the whistle for two players going for a 50⁄50 ball that would directly decide the outcome of the game, then I think Mitchell should’ve gone to the line for being obviously fouled on the drive, that’s far less controversial than two players making a play for the ball.
Maybe they should’ve called the 10 push offs on Harden and not awarded him for kicking his legs out and acting like his landing zone is a foot inside the 3 point line.
You guys are delusional. NBA refs are a disaster
flair up
He wasn’t fouled on the drive. Watch the replay
I did, that’s how I saw he was fouled.
You have a black/white way of thinking. No shades of grey. It CAN be possible for both the refs to suck AND JB being a miserable whiner
There were multiple fouls on that possession by detroit before the loose ball, which was the most innocuous foul of them all. The only reason the allen “foul” occurs is because he was shoved out of the way by Ausar in the first place.
No there weren’t. Watch the replay
Counterpoint: he’s not correct
Officiating is ass and Tony Brothers is a known offender for over a decade now. But the Pistons fouled on defense at least twice on that possession before the strip. Inconsistency is the issue but fans are also a problem when they only see or remember the flashy ones.
No they didn’t. Watch the replay
Seen it at least 5 times by now. Mitchell was fouled. And while I would need a better angle to know for sure, Allen seems to have been as well.
Tony Brothers can suck my dick
First seed lost to 37 fat washed Uncle Jim at home coz foul noooooooooooooo
There’s like 5 fouls on that play on both teams
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the refs gave up a 9 pt lead with 2:37 left?