{"id":1938552,"date":"2026-05-16T12:36:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1938552"},"modified":"2026-05-16T12:36:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:36:35","slug":"pistons-jalen-duren-paul-reed-flex-their-strength-to-force-game-7-against-cavs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1938552","title":{"rendered":"Pistons\u2019 Jalen Duren, Paul Reed flex their strength to force Game 7 against Cavs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CLEVELAND \u2014 Jalen Duren flexed.<\/p>\n

Duren looked at the Detroit bench Friday night and appeared more sure of himself than he had all postseason. And it wasn\u2019t the spin move around Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley before powering his way to the rim. It wasn\u2019t his finish through contact that gave the visiting Pistons a 14-point fourth-quarter lead.<\/p>\n

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The flex was confidence that had bubbled back to the surface. It was a level of emotion he hadn\u2019t shown since the playoffs began. It was aggression. It was certitude.<\/p>\n

And flexing right back at Duren, affirming the Piston center\u2019s display of self-assuredness, was Paul Reed.<\/p>\n

Reed signaled for an and-1 that wasn\u2019t called and nearly stepped over the out-of-bounds line with his fists balled below his waist. It was a simple yet symbolic interaction between the two that summed up their synergy.<\/p>\n

Duren, when his team needed it most, had his best game of the Eastern Conference semifinals. His 15 points, game-high 11 rebounds and three blocks were crucial to the Pistons\u2019 115-94 Game 6 win at Rocket Arena.<\/p>\n

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And when Duren slumped during the series, coach J.B. Bickerstaff turned to Reed for positive minutes. He played with the requisite aggressiveness. He attacked on offense. He moved with fervor, hunger on defense.<\/p>\n

Throughout the playoffs, the Pistons have expressed certainty that Duren would overcome his underwhelming postseason play. His biggest advocate has been Reed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anybody in here is as happy for JD as I am,\u201d Reed told The Athletic<\/em> inside Cleveland\u2019s visiting locker room. \u201cI was talking to him all night, telling him, \u2018That\u2019s the energy we need. Go harder. Make sure there\u2019s nothing left in the tank.\u2019\u200c\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how Reed plays, from his first big-minute game against the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 11, 2025, when he went for a season-high 28 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, to Friday\u2019s playoff career-high 17 points. While Duren watched from the bench at times during this series, Reed became the game-changer the Pistons needed.<\/p>\n

Facing elimination, on the road, against one of the few teams that play two traditional bigs, it was Duren\u2019s turn to affirm his strength. It was time for him to flex.<\/p>\n

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\u201cA lot of my touches early on being rushed and not being assertive, (I was) just overthinking the whole thing,\u201d Duren said while soaking his ankle in an ice bucket. \u201cWatching film throughout the series, watching film throughout the whole playoffs, seeing how I\u2019m moving and understanding how they\u2019re guarding me has helped a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to give credit to my player development coaches for helping me sit down and break down the game on how everything is looking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pistons assistant coach Vitaly Potapenko works closely with Duren. He\u2019s helped foster the postseason growth that led the 22-year-old big man to produce his third double-double of the second season.<\/p>\n

Duren\u2019s inspired outing came on the heels of being benched for Reed for the entire fourth quarter and overtime against the Cavaliers in Game 5.<\/p>\n

Duren was asked after the loss whether he was frustrated seeing Reed claim his usual minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brothers handled it,\u201d Duren said. \u201c(Reed) came in ready to go and did his thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jalen Duren when asked if he felt he needed to be better tonight:<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely, I feel like I could be better in all aspects of the game. Continue to grind and continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if he was frustrated on the bench:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brothers handled it. Bball came in ready to go.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/5vLDFwcVAg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hunter Patterson (@HunterPatterson) May 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Duren handled his first real spell of playoff slippage with grace. It\u2019s due in large part to the bond he and Reed have developed by spending time together away from the hardwood.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at him like my little brother for real,\u201d Reed said of Duren with a grin. \u201cHe\u2019s only 22, I\u2019m 26. I\u2019ve got four years on him, but off the court we hang out, and I feel like that helps build our relationship. It helps us support each other even more because we know we only want the best for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That connection is an example of how close Detroit is overall. Bickerstaff can play four-guard lineups that barely logged minutes together during the regular season to create chaos for Cleveland in the biggest game of the season.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why Marcus Sasser can check in and boast a game-high plus-27 in 18 minutes after not seeing consistent minutes all postseason. It\u2019s why Bickerstaff has the trust in his group to go nine men deep during the first quarter and 13 men deep for the game.<\/p>\n

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What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"Why<\/p>\n
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\n Why Ausar Thompson wasn\u2019t ejected from Game 6 for slamming Sam Merrill to floor\n <\/div>\n
\n The Detroit Pistons wing was assessed a flagrant foul but not ejected after putting a hand on the Cleveland Cavaliers wing’s neck.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cUp and down our roster, we\u2019ve had guys step up this season and play well for us, and it\u2019s been different guys,\u201d Bickerstaff said before Game 6. \u201cNo one\u2019s b\u2014-ed or complained when it wasn\u2019t their opportunity. Our guys understand that, and our guys are great teammates. \u2026 That chemistry and trust and belief in each other, it\u2019s genuine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The flex shared between Duren and Reed not only personified Duren\u2019s self-doubt but also embodied the bond that\u2019s allowed the Pistons to thrive in adverse situations<\/a>. Without that collective conviction, Detroit wouldn\u2019t have been able to conquer its shortcomings to force yet another Game 7.<\/p>\n

The version of Duren on display on Friday has always been there. The challenges he has overcome during this postseason run have only helped him rediscover what makes him dominant. Duren understands his value, and his unwavering belief in himself \u2014 boosted by Reed \u2014 will be invaluable to a Pistons team looking to notch its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the world thinks about me never hurt me, bro,\u201d Duren said. \u201cI care about the people around me. My family\u2019s opinion and my closest friends\u2019 opinion about me. \u2026 The world doesn\u2019t know me, so I never take that and let myself get down. I always understand who I am, who I\u2019ve been and who I can be.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s ups and downs in this game, I understand that, and you go through that. People will be with you when you\u2019re up, and they\u2019re going to leave you when you\u2019re down. That\u2019s just how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND \u2014 Jalen Duren flexed. Duren looked at the Detroit bench Friday night and appeared more sure of himself than he had all postseason. And it wasn\u2019t the spin move around Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley before powering his way to the rim. It wasn\u2019t his finish through contact that gave the visiting Pistons […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1938552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1938552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1938552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1938552\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1938552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1938552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1938552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}