Home court advantage reigns supreme in the Cavaliers-Pistons second-round series once again. The Cavs did have to battle from a marginal first-half deficit. Donovan Mitchell did more, scoring 39 in the second half, and helping Cleveland tie the series. Spida’s changed the series with his consistent scoring output. However, JB Bickerstaff did point out a more concerning disparity.

The Pistons aren’t the typical shooting team. They are known for their physicality and playing with force. Bickerstaff believes the Cavaliers assumed that identity in the third. However, that was no excuse for Detroit getting just 12 free throws, almost the same as Mitchell had in just the fourth quarter.

“It’s unacceptable… Ever since we came to Cleveland, the whistle has changed. There’s no way that one guy on their team shoots more free throws than our team. We’re not a settled team. We’re not a jump shooting team. We drive the ball, attack the paint,” said Bickerstaff.

The Pistons’ head coach didn’t want to give excuses. But it’s impossible to look past a 12-34 free-throw disparity. Bickerstaff felt Kenny Atkinson’s comments around the Cavaliers having to disregard the officials to handle the Pistons’ physicality have influenced the way the game’s been officiated.

The Pistons had 20 free throws in the first three games of the series. Albeit, there was a sharp drop since they had 35 attempts in Game 1. On the other hand, the Cavs have won the free-throw battle over the last three games. Game 4 recorded the largest free-throw disparity during the ongoing series.

JB Bickerstaff even complained about the clear lack of consistency in the calls.

“It’s interesting the difference on each side of the ball. You can go back and watch it yourself, but watch when Duncan Robinson tries to come off screens and the amount of hands that are on him,” the Pistons head coach added.

The major issue is also that numbers show the Pistons slash more than they shoot. The Cavs took 41 threes tonight, more than half of their overall attempts. The Pistons took 60 shots inside the arc. Yet, Cleveland managed to create a large free-throw gap. Likewise, Bickerstaff wasn’t pleased. He said the Pistons will send a few tapes to the league.

But they only see the disparity as a distraction rather than what caused the loss.

JB Bickerstaff agrees; the Pistons need to be better

Detroit had some sort of momentum after the first half in Game 4. They were leading by four points at the half. That’s the same number of points they held Donovan Mitchell to in the first half. Then came the Cavaliers’ explosion, a 22-0 run to start the third, with Spida displaying his entire repertoire of shot-making.

That is why Bickerstaff didn’t just flame the officials for losing the game.

“I mean, they came out and played with more force and tenacity than we did to start the quarter… They came out very aggressively on both ends of the floor. We just didn’t match it,” said the Pistons head coach.

Detroit was heavily outplayed in the third quarter. The Cavaliers didn’t just convrt 68.4% of their field goals. They also recorded three blocks and a steal. Defensively, holding the Pistons to 103 points was the primary reason behind Cleveland’s win. It’s the lowest Detroit has managed in the entire series. Evan Mobley’s five blocks and two steals in Game 4 set the benchmark for the activity Atkinson expects from the Cavs.

His comments that Bickerstaff referred to weren’t critical. Atkinson wanted to see the Cavaliers have an equal response. They provided that tonight, after which Bickerstaff admitted the Pistons have to be “better”. Free throws didn’t do the damage; Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers did.