It’s going to take some time before Ausar Thompson completely moves on from the painful ending of the Detroit Pistons’ 2025-26 NBA campaign.
The Pistons’ dream of winning an NBA title in 2026 was dashed on Sunday, as Thompson and company were embarrassed at home in a 125-94 loss in Game 7 of their second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Thompson did not hide his true feelings about the Pistons’ season-ending defeat at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.
“No, I’m not forgetting. I’m not forgetting. I mean, that series, that felt personal,” Thompson said after the game, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN.
“So, I’m not forgetting it. I remember.”
Detroit won the first two games of the Cavs series, but Cleveland responded with three consecutive victories to take a 3-2 lead. The Pistons forced a Game 7 with a road win in Game 6.
With a homecourt advantage, Detroit was poised to finish off the Cavs and move on to the Eastern Conference finals. But the Pistons came out flat in Game 7 and never recovered, as Cleveland ran away with the series-clinching victory.
Thompson scored just 5 points on 2/7 shooting, and while he made his presence felt on defense with 7 rebounds (6 defensive) and 2 blocks, that still barely made an impact against Cleveland’s offensive juggernaut.
