NEW YORK – Statements are made at Madison Square Garden – for both teams and individual players on sports’ biggest stage.
detroit pistons made another announcement and clarified new York Knicks In the season series with decider win 126-111 Two key players are missing due to suspension.
And personally, Cade Cunningham Staked his claim to be named the league’s Most Valuable Player with 42 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
Cunningham told ESPN in the preseason that the award was not a direct goal, but would come as a by-product of the team’s success.
“It comes from doing the things I said I needed to do to be included in that conversation,” Cunningham told ESPN Thursday night. “Now that we’re getting closer, there’s more [talk] Like ‘What’s your case?’ You should speak on this. I don’t really care to speak on it. I want the people who vote on this to be smart enough to see the game themselves.”
He is no longer running away from the possibility.
“I think I’m [MVP]”And if you don’t agree with me, that’s your opinion,” Cunningham told ESPN.
Given the circumstances, Thursday night’s game was as big a statement as he could have made. The Pistons were without their two best big men, Jalen Duren And Isaiah StewartDue to suspension due to his brawl in Charlotte before the All-Star break.
And the Knicks, beaten twice in Detroit in the past few weeks, were trying to get regular-season revenge against the team they beat in last year’s playoffs.
Exactly the opposite happened.
The Pistons, one of the league’s most prolific 3-point shooting teams, held the Knicks to just eight of 35 from distance, including a stretch where the Knicks missed 15 straight in the first half.
“It’s not a matter of us versus the Knicks,” Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff said of his team’s approach to defeating the Knicks this season. “Most of our games, we’ve played the same way, same temperament, same edge, same kind of defense. It’s just basketball to us, it has nothing to do with the opponent.”
And Cunningham had his way with every defender the Knicks threw at him — no matter the defender. OG Anunoby, mikal bridges Or late in the game, new addition jeremy sochan. Cunningham was 5-11 from 3-point range, and defensively, added two blocks.
“I don’t think you pick an MVP based on just one game or one statement,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s been like that all season. He’s dominated at both ends of the court and impacted wins in a big way.”
The Pistons have the NBA’s best record (41–13), having recently overtaken the defending champions for the top spot. oklahoma city thunder. They have extended their lead in the conference to six games boston celtics And their 19-7 road mark is one win less than the Thunder.
Cunningham loved playing at Madison Square Garden. In last season’s playoffs, he averaged 26 points, 7.6 assists and 8.6 rebounds in three games in New York, leading the Pistons to both of their victories in the series.
In addition to being 3-0 against the Knicks, Detroit is 3-1 against second-place Boston and 1-1 against fourth-place Cleveland.
“Because of the playoffs and all that, people want to make it even bigger than it is,” Bickerstaff said. “We’re confident in our depth. We’ve won a lot of games this season, just not at full strength.”
As long as the Pistons have Cunningham, they are confident in their chances. Since the media began voting for the award in 1980, Grant Hill’s highest-place finish as a Piston was in 1997, when he finished behind Michael Jordan. karl malone.
Isiah Thomas finished fifth in 1984.
It looks like Cunningham might be ready to take both.
The veteran forward said, “He’s a winner, man. He really is. The attitude, the leadership, every day, that guy is special.” tobias harris Said. “I think more than anything, he wants championships and that’s a difference. There are people who want to win MVP and there are people who want to win championships.”
Harris said while that hasn’t been a prevalent conversation in the locker room this year, people have started to see how highly regarded Cunningham is.
Cunningham averaged 25.3 points (14th in the NBA), 9.6 assists (second) and 5.8 rebounds.
“They play a high level of basketball to beat a good team like theirs,” Cunningham said. “To beat them, us trying to win tiebreakers and stuff, it means something. Just competing against Eastern teams, beating a good team, means a lot.”
When asked if the Pistons had made any definitive statements, Cunningham was a bit hesitant.
“What is this? I mean we’re the best team in the East, I don’t know what a statement that is,” Cunningham said. “The statement is coming to ring every night, and we will continue to compete until you are ready for us.”
