The headlines from Game 4, where Cleveland tied its series with Detroit, were Donovan Mitchell exploding for 39 second-half points and a 22-0 run to start the second half that helped the Cavaliers pull away for the win.

To Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff, there was more to the story — Cleveland shot 34 free throws in Game 4 to 12 for Detroit. Mitchell himself had more free-throw attempts (15) than the entire Pistons team, a Detroit squad known for its physical play and for drawing fouls.

"It's unacceptable. It is," Bickerstaff said after the loss, via the Associated Press. "There is no way one guy on their team should have more free throws than our team. We're not a settling for jump shots team. We didn't do enough to help ourselves, but ever since we came to Cleveland, the whistle has changed."

Bickerstaff was going to get his money's worth with the fine that is assuredly coming, so he wasn't done, via Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com.

"We drive the ball, attack the paint. So, what was done out there tonight, it's frustrating, but we can't allow that to be the reason why, because we didn't play well enough and play to the best of our capabilities.

"But again, you look at the foul count, you look at the disparity, and that's hard to overcome, and you wonder the reason why. It's interesting since (Cavaliers coach) Kenny (Atkinson) made his comments publicly about us, the whistles changed in this series."

Atkinson complained about the balance of whistles after the first two games, when the Pistons shot a combined 55 free throws to the Cavaliers' 43.

Coaches complaining to the press about calls going against them in a playoff series is a playoff tradition that goes back further than when Phil Jackson was doing it during the Jordan era in Chicago. The hope is to plant a seed in the minds of the officials calling the next game, to get them — even subconsiously — to tweak how the game is called.

Both Bickerstaff and Pistons star Cade Cunningham said that the referees were not why they lost Game 4 — that was the inability to slow Mitchell and a poor start to the second half. Now it's all about Game 5 on Wednesday, and Bickerstaff will gladly pay the fine if it helps his team in that critical showdown at home.