Cade Cunningham set an NBA record with 31 missed field goals in Monday’s win over the Wizards. He finished the game 14-of-45 from the field while scoring a career-high 46 points and leading the Pistons to a comeback win. His efforts in an exhausting performance helped the Pistons keep their win streak alive in spite of a terrifying injury list.
Cade is ready for all the pressure
Although Cade looked exhausted playing his third game in 4 days and second back of a back-to-back (with 40 minutes of action the previous night), he still found a way to bring his best in the fourth quarter. He scored 15 points in the final frame of regulation to bring the Pistons back from a double-digit deficit and force overtime. His willingness to continue shooting and scoring despite all his prior misses in the game showed his mental toughness and superstar mentality.
Some fans may look at his shooting percentages and scoff, but context is extremely important here. The Pistons were missing three starters and three key reserves in this game: Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser. With so many missing players, the Pistons had to dig deep into their bench and Cade had to dig deep into his scoring bag. He and Jalen Duren served as leaders on the court to rally the remaining healthy Pistons.
This is exactly the type of performance that toughens players and teams to reach the next level. Cade truly gave his all on the court and it paid off in the end. He might need to do the same in playoff games later this season when the opposing defenses shuts off the Pistons’ water and he’s not able to score efficiently. But proving early that he’s not afraid to keep shooting if that’s the best option shows a level of maturity that usually takes much longer to obtain.
Most telling about this performance is the record that Cade broke. With 31 missed field goals, he surpassed the old record of 30 held by the late great Kobe Bryant. Kobe was famous for his Mamba Mentality and willingness to do whatever it took for a win, even if that meant embarrassing misses at times. He often pointed to a playoff game his rookie year when he airballed 4 straight threes as a catalyst for his mental toughness.
Cade has now built up that same toughness with an all-out effort in the most dire of circumstances. He was able to overcome the odds in an obvious scheduled loss for the Pistons, but that’s not even the most important part. Cade has now shown that he too has the Mamba Mentality and that should be scary for the rest of the league.
