It showed just how strong the Raptors' advantage was on the perimeter.
Their perimeter advantage was so great that they could completely overlook their weakness on the boards.
So many haters had gone quiet by then.
Only a handful, like Bales, who trashed Wang Yi and the Raptors for attention and money, were still putting up a fight.
Bales said:
"The so-called Great Flood Era is really just an illusion."
"The Raptors can't keep shooting this well from three forever. If their threes are even a little off, the Pistons can win with their huge rebounding advantage."
"And after Akur went cold for nine games, he finally had one good game, and you're already celebrating?"
"I believe a rookie like Akur has an extremely unstable mentality."
"When he faces the games ahead and tougher, more targeted defense, he'll definitely go cold from three again."
"If any other Raptors player shoots as poorly as Akur, the Pistons are bound to win."
And in the next game, the Pistons did indeed make targeted adjustments against the Raptors.
They emphasized defending the Raptors' perimeter, closing out on their threes, and pushing their defense farther out.
This did have some effect on the Raptors' Great Flood Era offense, and the team didn't shoot especially well from the perimeter that game.
Akur was bothered by Antoine and finished the game just 1-for-6 from three.
Big Locke also had a poor game, going 0-for-4.
Under heavy pressure from the opposing defense, Zhang Yu was merely average, making just 2 of 6.
When the Pistons closed out on Tiger, his three-point percentage wasn't high either; he went just 1-for-3.
With so many Raptors threes missing, there were plenty of rebounds to grab.
The Pistons once again held a huge advantage on the boards.
They grabbed 17 more