If you’re a Michigan State basketball fan who doubles as a Detroit Pistons fan, the past month has been absolutely brutal for you. Jase Richardson‘s Magic are putting a cherry on top of one of the worst one-month spans for MSU/Pistons fans ever.
Not only did Michigan State lost in heartwrenching fashion to UConn in the Sweet 16 after storming back from down 19 early, but the Spartans then watched as their most hated rival won the national championship. That hurt a little extra when you consider that Michigan State hasn’t won a national title since 2000 and it feels like Tom Izzo has been chasing No. 2 forever.
Then, the top 2-3 transfer center options ended up elsewhere, including Moustapha Thiam who was a top-10 transfer in the portal and he committed to Michigan after originally showing interest in MSU.
To make matters worse, the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons are on the verge of losing yet another playoff series despite drawing the 8-seed. The Pistons haven’t won a single playoff series since 2008 and following last season’s valiant effort against the Knicks and 60 regular-season wins this year, it looked like the drought would finally come to an end.
However, a Game 1 loss followed by letdowns in Games 3 and 4 has the Pistons down 3-1 in the series with a huge Game 5 looming on Wednesday in Detroit.
A win by the Magic on Wednesday would make them just the seventh-ever No. 8 seed to upset a 1-seed in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, according to Sporting News.
In about 48 hours, Richardson may be a rather unpopular person in the state of Michigan.
Michigan State fans aren’t used to Jase Richardson betrayal
OK, I can’t technically refer to Richardson beating the Pistons as betrayal because he didn’t get to choose the NBA team he was on, but for the narrative, that’s the word we’re going with.
A fun one-year stint in East Lansing made Richardson a fan favorite as he became the Spartans’ best player before an Elite Eight run. Michigan State also won its first Big Ten title since 2020 with Richardson leading the way, and he unfortunately one got to spend a year at Michigan State before following his dad’s footsteps to the NBA — and, I guess, to the Orlando Magic.
Richardson has only done great things for the basketball program and, in turn, the mental health of Michigan State fans, but he must be one heck of a scout team player because the Magic look more than prepared against the top-seeded Pistons in these playoffs.
Michigan State fans who are also Pistons fans will find a way to forgive him.
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