After that horn went rogue, there was a pause in the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons. This time, because of a rogue spectator. A Pistons fan in Little Caesars Arena apparently went too far for Cavs’ star, Dennis Schroder. He retaliated by taking it up with the officiants, and it resulted in an ejection. But not of any player.

Cleveland was up 98-92 with over five minutes left in the game when Schroder took offense to a specific heckler. He went straight up to the Pistons head coach, JB Bickerstaff (who was his coach once upon a time), to have him handle the issue in his team’s arena. Announcers narrated the moment, claiming Bickerstaff repeatedly asked the German player, “Tell me what he said.”

Apparently, it was deemed an ejection-worthy offense. Cameras immediately showed arena security going into the stands to escort a fan out of the game.

Not many knew what was said, but the situation was handled without any significant drama. Announcers applauded the move by Bickerstaff and the Pistons squad for taking the opponents’ concerns seriously.

This almost didn’t happen if not for the last-second change on the Cavaliers’ end. Cleveland’s newest acquisition, Dennis Schroder, was questionable due to an ankle injury. But after Donovan Mitchell’s groin injury and James Harden’s fractured hand, Schroder was upgraded to the starting lineup before tip-off.

The Cavs had unrestrained confidence that Schroder would handle business if Harden and Mitchell were sidelined for an extended period. Tonight, he racked up 12 points and 9 assists as the game went into overtime.

As it turns out, hecklers and game-tying shots weren’t the only dramatic events in this game tonight.

Pistons-Cavaliers game exhausted Detroit’s patience

An overtime game that led to the Pistons’ hard-fought 122-119 win, coupled with the pause to eject the fan, were not the only factors stretching the game’s time. A series of bizarre technical malfunctions left players and fans alike in a state of restless anticipation about the outcome.

A sudden power surge triggered a ridiculous, blaring horn in the first half. The glitch caused the game clocks and scoreboard to blank out. The shot clock also went off.

The game came to a screeching halt for over 15 minutes as technicians frantically tried to fix the issues. The entire time, the players and fans waited in confusion as the game was in limbo. Once that horn stopped, the relieved arena burst into emotional applause.

When the game resumed, the system was still glitchy. So the arena staff handled it using a handheld air horn to signal the end of possessions and quarters.

Overall, patience in Detroit was low following the nuisance. The visiting team was getting booed as usual, but once a spectator crossed the line, Schroder was not going to give it a pass. Remarkably, we saw Bickerstaff’s and Schroder’s chemistry still exists on opposing ends.

Schroder was traded to the Pistons a year ago and played under JB Bickerstaff. Clearly, the Pistons coach still thinks of him as his player to take a stand.