Monty Williams yet so proud of his Pistons

If viewers skipped the match between the Celtics and the Pistons at halftime, they probably had quite a shock. Perhaps they even thought it was a display error. The score was 47-66 for Detroit. Yes, for the team which was on 27 defeats in a row, facing the undefeated one on its floor, in Boston.

The Pistons had a golden opportunity to not only break their black streak but to give themselves a terrible boost, by beating the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Defeats but the right attitude

To do this, they took advantage of the generosity of Joe Mazzulla's men who, almost logically, took the match by storm. “We expect an easy match. But this is not the case. It's one more match, regardless of the opponent's record. Sometimes we get caught up in the game because we have to be in front in the first quarter or at the break. But it doesn’t work like that”explains the Celtics coach for ESPN.

Now that the record for consecutive defeats is established, the pressure will almost change sides because each team that faces the Pistons will be expected to win… The Celtics therefore reacted in the third quarter, before winning at the end of an extension. A cruel scenario for Detroit, but one that makes Monty Williams proud.

“I told my players that it takes a lot of character and integrity to do what they do,” explains the coach. “I've been in the league for a while, and I've seen teams give in to circumstances that have nothing to do with what we're facing. It's admirable. We had a tough third quarter, obviously, but our ability to fight and tie the game in the fourth quarter was great. I feel sorry for my players. It feels like we were so close to winning this match, but also many others, by playing like this. »

What if this setback unlocked something?

The Pistons have in fact lost their last five matches by an average difference of 7.4 points. They are therefore not very far away, even if the defeats accumulate, again and again.

“With everything this team is going through… She has a spirit, an integrity, a toughness in the room every day,” continues the coach. “They hear everything people say about them, with social media. This does not prevent them from doing their job, from playing at the level and standard that we talk about every day. We can't do anything about media noise, but we can control our work. Even if it hurts at the moment, I insist: if we have this courage, this tenacity, without losing the ball, we will not only win a match but everything will fall into place. »

What if this defeat was what Michigan players “needed” to get back on track? Because shaking up the Celtics, in Boston where they have not yet lost, for a tough team like the Pistons, it's not nothing.

“I'm not interested in winning one more game this season, to end this streak. It would be too easy in my opinion,” delivers frontman Cade Cunningham. “Our goals are higher than that. We already have to start by winning a match, it's not much. But putting matches together, finding our system and what works, what will allow us to continue to win, that's what we're trying to do. »