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As Pistons fade continues, SVG decides struggling Jackson needs time off

NEW YORK – Reggie Jackson didn’t play Monday, he very likely won’t play Tuesday in a virtual must-win game with Miami and it’s possible, Stan Van Gundy admits, that you might not see him again this season.

But let’s be frank. You haven’t seen Reggie Jackson – save for an occasional brilliant burst of a quarter or a fleeting serpentine drive to the rim – at all this season. He feels no pain from the left knee tendinosis that cost him the season’s first 21 games and all of preseason, but he also has conceded to Van Gundy that plays he sees and reacts instinctively to just aren’t getting made.

“We’ve been thinking about this actually for a long time,” Van Gundy said after the Pistons lost for the seventh time in eight games, 109-95, this time to the Knicks. “He’s been playing at – it’s hard to put a percentage on it – but probably at about 80 percent. And as we get into this stretch of games, the fatigue is making it worse.”

Jackson didn’t ask for time off. In fact, he fought Van Gundy, who talked to Pistons owner Tom Gores on Sunday to get his input and make sure he was on board. Van Gundy said he didn’t anticipate Jackson would play against the Heat, now 1½ games ahead of the Pistons for the final playoff spot.

Could he be shut down for the season? Van Gundy wouldn’t rule it out, but also said Jackson could play on Thursday against Brooklyn.

What he really anticipates is getting Jackson back at full speed next season and playing at the level Van Gundy glimpsed in September – before training camp opened – and the first few days of camp, when the pain in his left knee Jackson began experiencing in those pre-camp workouts became excruciating.

“He was absolutely dominant,” Van Gundy said. “He had a great summer.”

Pistons team doctors and their training staff have insisted to Van Gundy that there is nothing physically wrong with Jacksom. But he hasn’t been able to regain the strength in his legs and his trademark burst to the basket has been seen in rare instances.

“He’s really fought it. He’s been a warrior,” Van Gundy said. “He’s tried to fight through it. He’s been frustrated because he sees openings and things on the court that he just hasn’t been able to get to. I think part of it is a confidence thing and the thing we really look forward to – and he looks forward to – is getting a fresh start in the off-season and being able to go through the preparation for a season like he did last year and not only get right physically but really get his confidence back to be able to attack.”

Without Jackson, whom Van Gundy removed from the starting lineup last week, the Pistons used Beno Udrih as Ish Smith’s backup. With Smith at the controls, the Pistons piled up 36 first-quarter points against the Knicks but led by just two points. They trailed by five at halftime after a rusty Udrih – who committed just 19 turnovers in 21 games as Smith’s backup while Jackson sat to start the season – committed five of the team’s eight second-quarter turnovers.

The third quarter began with the Pistons going scoreless on 13 straight possessions over more than seven minutes as the Knicks took a 20-point lead.

“That was the game right there,” Van Gundy said.

“We had a couple good looks. Ball got a little stagnant,” said Marcus Morris, who broke out of his slump by hitting 4 of 5 from the 3-point line in a 20-point outing. “Once we missed a lot, everybody tried to play their part in getting shots and kind of will the team. We missed shots, shots we normally make.”

After their 36-point first quarter, the Pistons scored just 59 over the final three quarters. With eight games left, they don’t know from game to game what they’ll get out of their offense and their frustrations at that end have spilled over to the defensive end in the last three games. And now they might have to try to reverse momentum without the help of their point guard and the player around whom the offense was built.

“We’re at a point in the year where we were struggling and we just need to have guys who are at full energy,” Van Gundy said. “As much as (Jackson) wants to, he can’t right now. It’s honestly amazing what he’s done. The guy’s averaged 14 and a half points, five assists in 27 minutes – not anywhere near at full strength. And to his credit, he fought me on it. He wanted to keep going.

“Physically, there’s no structural damage, so we’re very optimistic he’ll be able to get back to that. But it’s been a mental challenge, too, and one he’s tried to fight through. But it’s hard when you’re not playing at the level you want to play. I just thought for him and for us, it was probably the best thing right now.”