After the Detroit Pistons took a two-game-to-none lead in their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the rival Cleveland Cavaliers, the latter returned the favor to the former, winning both games in Cleveland to knot the series at two games apiece.
With the critical Game 5 of the series on deck in Detroit on Wednesday evening, Pistons small forward Ausar Thompson spoke candidly about the officiating, saying that despite the disparity in calls, it's up to them to get the job done.
“Just playing our brand of basketball,” Thompson said via X. “The refs can’t lose us the game at the end of the day. They can call more fouls, but they can’t lose us the game, so we can’t focus on the refs. There are a lot of things we did on our own to put ourselves in those situations (in Game 4), so we gotta be better at not even letting the refs get a chance to bail teams out.”
"Not worrying about the whistle. … The refs can't lose us the game at the end of the day… We gotta be better at not even letting the refs get a chance to bail teams out."
– Ausar Thompson
(via @971theticketxyt)pic.twitter.com/rOQQP4Z45I
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 13, 2026
There was quite the disparity in both games in Cleveland in free-throw attempts, especially in Game 4. Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell stepped to the line individually more times than the entire Pistons roster.
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Meanwhile, Thompson is itching to get back out there and help his team re-take the series lead.
“Not necessarily to remind anyone (what I can do), but just to do what I do on a daily basis,” Thompson said. “That’s what I’m worried about — just helping my team.”
So far in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Thompson has averaged 8.5 points with 7.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field.
Game 5 between the Pistons and Cavaliers will tip-off at 8:00 p.m. ET.
After the Detroit Pistons took a two-game-to-none lead in their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the rival Cleveland Cavaliers, the latter returned the favor to the former, winning both games in Cleveland to knot the series at two games apiece.