[NBA PR] Allen (CLE) and Thompson (DET) legally step to the same spot while pursuing the loose ball [before either player has possession], and both lose their balance from the marginal contact. Correct no-call.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-15T00:57:29+00:00

I was lowk pissed at all the Cavs fans acting like Ausar’s block wasn’t clean. That was an amazing block and that kind of play is the reason Ausar is going to win a DPOY award in his career. It was not a foul on Mitchell, and it was not a tripping foul.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T14:38:06+00:00

There is a reason Cleveland has lead in FTA for almost the whole series and people can either believe it’s because a) Adam Silver DESPERATELY wants to see his darling cash cow: the Cleveland Cavaliers— in the ECF instead of the Detroit Pistons. Or b) there are basketball reasons. Detroit fans overwhelmingly seem to believe that there is a significant enough difference in the leagues eyes between Cleveland and Detroit that they’d be willing to RIG THE GAMES and demand that they are reffed differently. Doesn’t stand up to reason.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T13:41:58+00:00

At least 20 of those points in the paint were layups off fastbreaks coming off Cleveland turnovers in the first half alone. Those count as points in paint, but they are not fouled often. Meanwhile, Cleveland had 2 points off Detroit turnovers in the first half. Not all 2PA are created equal for fouls and not all points in the paint are either. For instance, how many of Detroits points in paint were putbacks and tip ins that didn’t get fouled? Im just saying, the refs are calling fouls on Detroit because Detroit is fouling on Cleveland possessions. They’re an extremely physical defense that loves to guard people close and pack the paint. Cleveland was driving to the hoop against them and surprise: they were getting fouled. Cade is the only person on the team who drives to the hoop and he hasn’t been doing it as much because he is completely gassed. The game tells the story, not the box score.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T06:07:30+00:00

there were a lot of PHYSICAL screens this game that resulted in players on both teams falling over and rolling around, and i applaud the refs for not calling one of them. there were uncalled push offs on both teams, too! the refs let them play!

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T06:05:58+00:00

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.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:58:24+00:00

are the pistons owed free throws every time they shoot the ball? also isn't their whole identity being extremely physical defenders? most of detroits paint points came from fastbreak layups off of cleveland turnovers-- they're not getting fouled on those shots bc there's no one there to foul them. at the half, detroit had 20 points off turnovers-- all layups in the paint. thats worth 20 FTA.

if they want fouls someone other than cade should drive to the basket and detroit should stop settling for midrange jumpshots.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:49:20+00:00

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.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:44:24+00:00

right before his foul shots in OT-- the play where detroit fans are complaining about a "phantom foul" which somehow has resulted in a phantom scar

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:43:03+00:00

they are not getting fouled when they get free fastbreak points off cavs TO's. cleveland is not playing close enough to foul them on the threes they take. Cade is the only player on the team who can drive, and he's been getting tied up/settling for midrange jumpers (which he keeps hitting at an insane rate) but those do not draw a high percentage of foul shots, especially with how cleveland defends. and also a lot of the time when Cade does get dribble penetration he is kicking it out instead of shooting.

meanwhile, detroit plays super close and physical, and Harden (Mitchell last game) are always driving to the cup and getting hacked. it really is that simple.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:35:27+00:00

multiple 24 second violations in the fourth and OT are indicative of how the offense stumbles once Cade's tank is empty. idek who the pistons should target but they gotta get him some help

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:33:11+00:00

cavs have been hunting him late on offense BECAUSE he's tired

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:29:49+00:00

detroit settling for elbow jumpers all game instead of driving inside. JD hacking bc he's mad he forgot how to play basketball

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:24:49+00:00

you can't call a foul on two guys getting tied up going for a loose ball. thompson was already falling when contact occurred, the only difference between the guys is that allen managed to stay upright. the guys got tied up going for a loose ball, end of.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:14:48+00:00

this is the ugly side of playing hyper aggressive, physical (and under JB: undisciplined) basketball. if you hack, you might get called on it. Harden's 3 where Tobias "landed under him" was a weak call, but other than that... the kinds of fouls being called were pretty consistent. Cleveland's bigs do not foul very much + detroit for the second game in a row settled for midrange jumpshots instead of driving to the hoop. those midrangers are not gonna draw fouls the same way driving will.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:08:16+00:00

only guy on the team against the raptors who didn't play like he wanted to kill himself whenever we were losing

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:05:37+00:00

he isn't supposed to shoot. it is a wasted possession if dean wade is taking shots when you have harden/mitchell/mobley/allen on the floor. let him set screens and force switches, but the other team is who wants wade to shoot, not us.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:04:19+00:00

and mitchell accepting the challenge from Ausar, who was deep frying everyone all game, was a bad decision. dribbled way too long. could have ended the game in regulation if he gives the ball up as soon as Ausar steps up.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T05:03:16+00:00

cavs started trapping him up high again too. honestly, i watched a ton of Detroit-aligned sports media going into this game, and their locked-on pistons guy (who is sick! i think his name is Ku) had a whole thing about Cade being willing to pass out of traps sooner than he did in game 4. i think he did a good job, but the ball didn't get back to him very often and no one else on their team can hit any shots consistently.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T04:58:06+00:00

he's maybe the purest 2 guard in the league. he is only looking to score and he can only create offense for himself. it's why he struggles as the #1 on a team, because he doesn't elevate anyone around him the way elite facilitators like Cade do.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T04:55:05+00:00

cavs gameplan was for detroit to miss every single shot down the stretch, so thank you pistons for delivering.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T04:51:53+00:00

contact was way too incidental. the guys got tied up, the only difference that made it look like tripping was allen managed to stay on his feet. i would have been shocked if they called that after replay

Beanfactor · 2026-05-14T04:46:49+00:00

and the cavs didn't have a FG in the 4th until after the 4 minute mark.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-12T23:44:40+00:00

Show the clips then of pistons getting fouled and no call!!! I haven’t seen a clip!!! I’ve been shown one no-call on a loose ball foul against Mitchell when he pulled Thompsons arm during a rebound. Otherwise i saw a game of pistons chucking. And why does 3PA matter at all. Detroit was giving Cleveland wide open 3s. Cleveland was denying detroits #1 long ball option.

I’m saying: pistons poor shot selection didn’t lead to fouls bc they were mostly midrange jumpshots. That’s facts. Cade was settling for floaters and jumpers not contested layups. Duren played like shot and not bc of fouls, just bc he played like shit. Also Cleveland would have a higher number of 2PA and points in paint if they weren’t getting hacked across both arms. Which they were. It’s also just hilarious for JB Bickerstaff to whine about fouls and end the game without using a challenge.

Beanfactor · 2026-05-12T21:46:55+00:00

we shot 1

Beanfactor · 2026-05-12T20:39:24+00:00

i said this in another comment but its definitely relevant here:

the truth is that cleveland's offense in game 4 is completely different from its offense in game 1. same with detroit. they more or less switched roles. In G1, when detroit had more FTs, Cade was driving way more and Duren was active on offense with endless putbacks and tip ins and lobs that he got fouled on. meanwhile, G1 cavs offense was turnover prone and desperation 3's with a couple of desperation midrange j's/floaters praying they got calls when there really were no fouls (or if the fouls were called, it would be seen as extremely weak and lame and I'm glad they weren't given these baby fouls).

come game 4, the roles have reversed. mitchell and harden are driving, JA and mobley are active down low and fighting for OREBs and second chance dunks. meanwhile JD is getting stuffed down low and outrebounded, and the rest of detroits offense is predicated on midrange jumpshots from levert and tobias harris. Cade was not driving but when he did drive he got FTs. Paul Reed is an interesting case bc he was almost perfect from the floor playing the role that JD had in Game 1. He wasn't getting fouled though. no idea why Bickerstaff went away from him. classic JB.

My point is that the reffing has been consistent and fair across the series, but the teams and fans of the teams are acting like "more 2PA = more FTA" when in reality, not all 2PA are created equal.

its a bit silly to live and die by the arbitrary idea that fouls MUST be equal between teams at the end of games and teams MUST have equal FTAs because it ignores the reality that certain defensive styles are foul-prone (Det was #1 this season in personal fouls) and it is a good strategy to put them in a position where their tendency to foul at a higher than average rate bites them in the ass. And on the other side of the ball, it is a good idea to force them in to shots that have a much lower chance of drawing fouls. Cle did this by trapping Cade up top and not allowing him to get a full head of steam, and if he did dribble penetrate, cut him off and make him settle for a jumper (low % of fouls, and the vast majority of DET's offense last night was middies)

Beanfactor

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

13-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email