It wasn’t just a win for the Pistons, but a historic moment. Cunningham finished with 33 points and 12 rebounds, and the Pistons captured their first playoff victory in nearly 18 years, defeating the Knicks 100-94 in their own arena to tie the series, 1-1.

Before Game 2 of the Detroit Pistons' first-round series against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Monday, coach J.B. Bickerstaff offered his perspective on teaching his young team about playoff basketball: You can tell players how it's different from the regular season but they still have to feel it for themselves.

And now coach Tom Thibodeau has opted for Anunoby’s length and strength to match up with Cunningham through the first two games of the series. It worked in Game 1, but Anunoby’s lack of quickness, particularly on the perimeter, was exposed Monday night.