J.B. Bickerstaff flames refs for free throw gap after Pistons' Game 4 loss

Donovan Mitchell attempted 15 free throws in Game 4 on Monday night in Cleveland.

The Detroit Pistons had 12 as a team compared to 34 for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

And the Pistons were whistled for 27 fouls to 15 by the Cavs.

The Pistons' coach bickered about it postgame at Rocket Arena.

"It's unacceptable," coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the Pistons' 112-103 loss tied the series. "Ever since we came to Cleveland, the whistle has changed. There's no way that one guy on their team shoots more free throws than our team. We're not a settle team, we're not a jump-shooting team. We drive the ball, attack the paint. What was done out there tonight, it's frustrating, but we can't allow that to be the reason why. ... But again, you look at the foul count, you look at the disparity and that's hard to overcome. And you wonder the reason why. It's interesting since Kenny [Atkinson] made his comments publicly about us the whistle's changed in this series."

Mitchell tied an NBA playoff record with 39 points in the second half. He made 13 of 15 free throws for the game.

Game 5 of the second-round best-of-seven series is Wednesday night in Detroit.

"We feel like we're aggressive offensively, too," Caris LeVert, who led the Pistons with 24 points off the bench, said. "We feel like we drive to the paint. [Cade Cunningham] drives to the paint as much as Mitchell probably was tonight. We didn't get the call, we just gotta play through it. We could probably do a better job of taking care of the ball, I think. But sometimes the free throw disparity is going to be like that. We just gotta play through it, especially on the road."