Carlisle was ready to declare garbage time with five minutes left in the game. The Pacers' lead was hovering around 25 points. Theoretically, even though the Pistons were still putting up a fight, it was impossible for them to close that gap in five minutes.
But, halfway through the fourth quarter, Prince rushed up and pulled Su Xi straight to the ground during what should have been a routine drive.
Everyone watching on TV could see how utterly irrational they were being.
"I'm ashamed of the Detroit Pistons. Even during the Bad Boy era, they wouldn't pull this kind of cheap stunt in this situation," Barkley said. "They should just accept their defeat."
Kenny Smith didn't even argue.
He also thought the Pistons were acting completely without class.
Su Xi stepped up to the free-throw line and sank both shots, extending the lead to 27 points. That also brought his personal stats for the night to 35 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block.
