Vince Ellis

Detroit Free Press

Fans got an inkling of Reggie Jackson’s emotional nature when he lost his lunch just before his Detroit Pistons debut in February 2015.

He jumps on teammates’ backs at the end of games. He plays to the crowd at the Palace of Auburn Hills after his huge plays close out Pistons victories.

And that was the case again Tuesday night.

With 1.1 seconds left and his Pistons leading his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, by four points and teammate Aron Baynes heading to the free throw line, Jackson pranced up the floor with his hands raised. He called for the Palace crowd to keep cheering.

He glanced over at his former teammates to make sure that they were watching.

They were. And after the game, they seethed. Memories are still fresh from Jackson’s acrimonious final months with the franchise that drafted him in the first round in 2011.

As Baynes took his free throws, Jackson exchanged words with Thunder center Steven Adams. Jackson could be seen on TV mouthing the words, “Go home.”

Russell Westbrook let Oklahoma City reporters hear about it after the Pistons’ 88-82 victory. Asked whether he saw Jackson's celebration, Westbrook said: “Yeah, I did actually. I thought it was some real (BS) for our team and our organization. I don’t like it at all. But it is what it is. We’ll see him down the line. We’ll take care of that when we get there.”

Is it just hard feelings?

“Doesn’t really matter, to be honest with you,” Westbrook said. “He wasn’t changing nothing for us. Obviously, he didn’t want to be here. He’s at a better spot.

“He’s not doing too much of a difference, if you ask me. He’s gonna stay over in Detroit. We gonna stay over here and see them next year.”

Adams added: “I’m surprised, that’s all. It says a lot about him.”

Jackson’s celebration really wasn’t out of the ordinary -- except, this time, it came in front of his former teammates. Those teammates remember Jackson vocally wanting to be traded last season. He was accommodated when the Thunder sent him to the Pistons.

Jackson wanted to run his own team, and that wasn't going to happen with the presence of Westbrook, one of the top players in the league.

And although Jackson is curt when asked about his time in Oklahoma City, you get a sense that he nodded knowingly after reading Thunder center Serge Ibaka’s comments after OKC’s victory at Toronto on Monday night.

“I’m gonna tell you the truth: It’s hard sometimes when you play hard, you play your (butt off),” Ibaka told the Daily Oklahoman when asked about the team’s then-eight-game winning streak. “You play so hard on defense, then you come to offense, and you’re going to be out there in the corner for four, five, six, sometimes eight minutes and you don’t touch the ball. We human, man. It’s hard.”

Anyone paying attention can infer that Ibaka was referring to Westbrook’s inclination to shoot first and shoot second.

Jackson has been a great addition for the Pistons. He's the leading scorer for a team that is getting close to ending its playoff drought at six seasons. He re-signed for five years and $80 million this past off-season.

And after struggling for most of the night, he came through with eight points in the final 3:36 against the Thunder - including a two-handed dunk that gave the Pistons an 82-77 lead with 1:29 left.

So Jackson is having fun. And he wanted his former teammates to know it.

Contact Vince Ellis at vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.