Pistons, Tobias Harris 'protect home court' as series shifts to Cleveland
At 6-foot-8 and 226 pounds, Tobias Harris has taken advantage of his size throughout the first nine games of this playoff run.
After Game 7 against the Orlando Magic, Pistons head coach J. B. Bickerstaff made an ear-catching quote, stating, "Nobody can say s--- to me about Tobias Harris.
" The Pistons came back from a 3-1 deficit and won a grueling seven-game series and Harris finished that game as Detroit's leading scorer, putting up 30 points while Cade Cunningham had 32 points. But people still asked the same question: Is this really a different Tobias Harris we're watching? In Game 1 on Tuesday, he was yet again Detroit's second leading scorer with 20 points.
He showed up again in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, finishing with 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting, adding seven rebounds and two steals in a 107-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers . In his 15th season, Harris has gone from averaging more than 13 points per game in the 2025-2026 regular season to more than 21 points per game in the postseason. It's just the second time in his career he's averaged more than 20 points in a postseason.
So what's the secret to this trust in Harris' abilities? "Confidence," Bickerstaff said after Game 2. "There's no insecurity in who he is, and when you don't have those insecurities in the moment, you can play free and trust the work that you've put in.
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