Poor Malik Beasley.
The Detroit Pistons guard made some big moves in Game 6 of the team's playoff series vs. the New York Knicks on Thursday night, but it will be his final miss that he's remembered for.
With the game tied and roughly four seconds left, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (fittingly 2024-25's Clutch Player of the Year) sank a crucial three-pointer to bring the score to 116-113. The Pistons then had a chance to even things out again, but Beasley bobbled and dropped the all-important pass from Cade Cunningham as time just about expired. Just like that, Detroit's Cinderella season was over.
— Gonzalo Vázquez (@GVazquezNY) May 2, 2025
Of course, NBA fans were not going to let such a mistake go without cracking a few jokes, most of which were either comparing Beasley to the Milwaukee Bucks' Gary Trent Jr. (who also had a fumble this week), roasting him for failing his team in the clutch, or likening what happened with this drop to the one that ended the Baltimore Ravens' season back in January.
And making matters even worse, Beasley had earlier Thursday claimed the Pistons were "mentally stronger" than New York. Oy vey; that did not age well.
Take a look at that reaction below:
Earlier today Malik Beasley called the Pistons the “mentally stronger team” compared to the Knicks
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 2, 2025
Tonight the ball went through his hands for the Pistons to be eliminated from the playoffs
(h/t @jschwartz115) pic.twitter.com/QTEDnKUonD
Malik Beasley and Gary Trent Jr. with their seasons on the line pic.twitter.com/Wj6q1f43Bz
— rico gates (@TrustSwisho) May 2, 2025
malik beasley when you need him the most pic.twitter.com/rcAOLCmKEZ
— big-eL (@_armstrong__) April 27, 2025
Malik Beasley right now. pic.twitter.com/eQJKhgWRty
— 𝑩𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏’𝒔 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓 (@Tatums0Burner) May 2, 2025
Malik Beasley at the buzzer: pic.twitter.com/RbEtGZHGLk
— Hard Rock Bet (@HardRockBet) May 2, 2025
Malik Beasley and Gary Trent Jr when their seasons are on the line pic.twitter.com/8MwjxZrZYb
— AKRiley (@AKRileyy5) May 2, 2025
Malik Beasley with the season on the line pic.twitter.com/RtfC2XKlWu
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 2, 2025
Malik Beasley and Gary Trent Jr pic.twitter.com/EEE9CVZRQf
— Old NBA Tweets (@oldnbatweetz) May 2, 2025
How do we have Malik Beasley and Gary Trent Jr do the same thing in the same moment in the same week
— Mr. Statistician Face Man (@tomhaberstroh) May 2, 2025
Malik Beasley and Gary Trent Jr when they see each other next. pic.twitter.com/5fDGIGwTz8
— David J. Smith (@davidjsmith1232) May 2, 2025
GAME 6 MALIK BEASLEY 😳
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) May 2, 2025
18 POINTS & 6 THREES AT HALF 🔥 pic.twitter.com/m9mvV2wDFS
Malik Beasley pic.twitter.com/YcB2z29JTf
— Ass Mattford (@Zarathak23) May 2, 2025
Malik Beasley with the game on the line: pic.twitter.com/BFssgmMNF4
— Jαƈƙʂσɳ Tҽҽɳ 🩵 (@teen_jackson) May 2, 2025
It's a shame, too, because Beasley really did have a good start to the game. In the first two quarters alone, he had 18 points off of six threes, including the buzzer that tied the half, then later added another bucket for a game total of 20. Hopefully, he doesn't beat himself up too badly for what happened.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Malik Beasley's Crucial Drop in Pistons-Knicks Had NBA Fans Making the Same Jokes.