Pistons coach Loyer irritated by postgame question

Detroit Pistons coach John Loyer had to know that the perfect storm was brewing when his team went up against a Philadelphia 76ers team that was mired in a 26-game losing streak. The game really offered no upside to the Pistons, but the downside would be another nasty scar on the season.

After Loyer’s worst nightmares came true and the 76ers blasted the Pistons 123-98, the head coach couldn’t hide his anger at the post game press conference. Not that it was all his fault. The following question was the first one posed to Loyer after the game.

"They punched you in the mouth from the beginning. Was it just a lack of energy?“I don’t know, you watched it. If I could put my finger on it, I would have changed it,” retorted Loyer. “They competed and they attacked the rim. Once people see them attacking the rim, then they start getting a few calls and that rim starts looking a lot bigger. They were definitely the most aggressive team. They’re 30th in the league in three-point shooting, but once you see that rim getting bigger, shots start going in, and we didn’t do a very good job on our closeouts. They took it to us and we didn’t answer the bell.”"

To his credit, Loyer gathered himself during his answer and offered some analysis on the loss, but I doubt that reporter will be granted the first question for the coach in the future.