In the iconic Madison Square Garden, statements resonate, both for teams and individual players, in what is considered the most important stage in basketball. The Detroit Pistons made their mark once again, sweeping the New York Knicks in the season series, with a decisive 126-111 victory, despite key absences due to suspension of two important players. Individually, Cade Cunningham put himself forward as a candidate for the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), with a stellar performance of 42 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
Cunningham does not shy away from the possibility of being MVP.It comes from doing the things I said, what I needed to do to be in that conversation. Now that we’re getting closer, there’s more [conversation] like ‘What’s your case? You should talk about it.’ I don’t really care to talk about it. I want the people who vote for it to be smart enough to look at the game for themselves.
Cade Cunningham
The game on Thursday night was a strong statement, given the circumstances. The Pistons played without their two main centers, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, due to suspensions stemming from an altercation in Charlotte before the All-Star break. Meanwhile, the Knicks, who had been defeated in Detroit in recent weeks, were seeking revenge against the team that beat them in last year’s playoffs. The result was the opposite. The Pistons held the Knicks, one of the league’s most prolific 3-point shooting teams, to just eight of 35 attempts, including a stretch where the Knicks missed 15 consecutive shots in the first half.I think I am [MVP]. And if you don’t agree with me, that’s your opinion.
Cade Cunningham
Cunningham dominated every defender the Knicks assigned to him, whether it was OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, or, at the end of the game, the newcomer Jeremy Sochan. Cunningham made 5 of 11 three-pointers and, on defense, added two blocks.This isn’t a matter of us against the Knicks. Most of our games, we’ve played the same way, with the same attitude, the same grit, defending the same. This is just basketball for us, nothing to do with the opponent.
J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons coach
The Pistons have the best NBA record (41-13) and recently surpassed the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder at the top. They have extended their lead in the conference to six games over the Boston Celtics and their 19-7 away record is one win away from the Thunder. Cunningham seems to enjoy playing at Madison Square Garden. In last season’s playoffs, he averaged 26 points, 7.6 assists, and 8.6 rebounds in the three games in New York, leading the Pistons to both wins in the series. In addition to having a 3-0 record against the Knicks, Detroit has a 3-1 against Boston, which is in second place, and a 1-1 against Cleveland, which is in fourth place.I don’t think an MVP is chosen based on just one game or one statement. It’s been like that all season. He has dominated on both ends of the court and significantly impacted wins.
J.B. Bickerstaff
As long as the Pistons have Cunningham, they seem to believe in their chances. Since the media began voting for the award in 1980, the highest position a Pistons player has reached was Grant Hill in 1997, who finished behind Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. Isiah Thomas finished fifth in 1984. It seems Cunningham might be about to surpass both of them.Because of the playoffs and all that, people want to make a big deal out of this, but it’s not. We believe in our depth. We’ve won a lot of games this season, without being 100%.
J.B. Bickerstaff
Harris said it hasn’t been a predominant conversation in the locker room this year, but teammates are starting to notice how highly Cunningham is regarded. Cunningham averages 25.3 points (14th in the NBA), 9.6 assists (second) and 5.8 rebounds.He’s a winner, man. He really is. Attitude, leadership, every day, the guy is special. I think more than anything, he wants championships and that’s the difference. There are guys who want to win the MVP and guys who want to win championships.
Tobias Harris, veteran forward
When asked if the Pistons made a definitive statement, Cunningham was a bit reserved.Sweeping a team as good as them, they play high-level basketball. To beat them, we are trying to win the tiebreaker and those things, that means something. Just competing against the teams from the East, beating a good team, means a lot.
Cade Cunningham
What is it? We are the best team in the East, I don’t know what declaration. The declaration is to come and play every night, and we are going to compete until you give up on us.
Cade Cunningham
