“That playoff series was heavily contested, and I think it bred some of that,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “I don’t want to call it a rivalry yet, but it is intensified for us for sure. Again, both teams, I’m sure, would like to get a look at one another fully healthy and see what that looks like. But again, I give our guys a ton of credit just for the response more so than anything. The way they came out today with the right mindset and understanding what was going to be in front of them.”
