Pistons' Paul Reed usage couldn't be more confusing

Pistons' Paul Reed usage couldn't be more confusing originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

There's pretty much no chance anyone has ever done what Paul Reed did on Wednesday night for the Detroit Pistons.

Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't put the undersized center into the game for three quarters.

He then played Reed for the entire 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, and all five minutes of overtime.

Reed played the final 17 minutes of Detroit's Game 5 loss after not appearing in the game's first 36 minutes.

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Reed had only played in the second half of Game 4, too, when he had some highly impactful minutes to keep Detroit in the game.

It seemed that his performance in the prior game might earn him some earlier time in Game 5, but that didn't happen.

Jalen Duren hasn't been good in this series, but he'll continue to start at the center position for the Pistons.

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Bickerstaff then turned to usual backup Isaiah Stewart, who made two quick 3-pointers and was stout defensively, so if the Pistons had plans to go to Reed in the first half, they may have been put on hold by Stewart's solid performance.

But then it's pretty crazy to see Reed's down-the-stretch minutes. Bickerstaff didn't even feel he needed a breather at any point.

The guy you'd trust in the fourth quarter and OT seems like someone you'd trust earlier, too. But hey, that's why they pay Bickerstaff the big bucks.

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