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The Detroit Pistons are suddenly the hottest team in the Motor City.
That might not mean a whole lot with the dual struggles of Michigan and Michigan State hoops, and the Red Wings currently tied for last place in the Eastern Conference. But the Pistons have quietly run off four victories in five games, allowing them to creep into the final playoff spot in the East.
The excitement does have to be put into a bit of perspective This little flurry of success has come against some of the NBA’s worst squads, with all of the victories taking place at the Palace. The schedule was friendly enough to offer up New Orleans, Minnesota, Philadelphia and the Lakers in a week's time. There was one road date mixed in, at Indiana, and the Pistons were throttled by 21.
So is this the real Detroit Pistons outfit we have been waiting for all year long? The enthusiasm was at a fever pitch entering the campaign, Stan Van Gundy having just guided his group to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. But that optimism was quickly replaced by a host of question marks and the team has been wallowing below .500 for the better part of two months. Now, at 25-28, they have a chance to get back to the break-even point by the All-Star break.
It will be a challenge, however. Tonight it’s Kawhi Leonard and the always-stout San Antonio Spurs coming to town, boasting the league’s 2nd-best road record (21-6). Then it’s on the road at Toronto, where the Pistons never seem to fare well, going all the way back to a pair of ugly playoff losses in 2002.
The last two before the break bring a bit of a breather, going to Milwaukee and finishing with the Mavericks in Auburn Hills. Neither the Bucks or Mavs are currently playoff teams, but Dallas in particular has been on a roll of late.
We’ll know after this quartet of games whether the recent uptick by the Pistons is proof that they have figured some things out, or if it was really just the byproduct of a pillowy-soft schedule.
Alone In the Eight-Spot
As it stands today, the Pistons are alone in the eight-spot, though there are three teams within two games in the standings. One of those teams is the ultra-bizarre Miami Heat, once a talentless 11-30 lottery-chaser, and now the most dominant team in professional sports history. Miami has ripped off 12 consecutive victories to pull to 23-30 and nipping at the heels of the Pistons.
In terms of moving up in the Eastern Conference hierarchy, unfortunately, the Pistons have dug themselves quite a hole. They could jump to the seventh seed, trailing the Bulls by just a game. But that’s basically where the fun ends. Atlanta (fifth) and Indiana (sixth) are a comfortable distance from the Pistons, a healthy five- or six-game difference in the loss column separating the group.
Of course, as we know all too well, sticking in that final seed is basically the same as not making the postseason at all. In the Pistons’ last two playoff appearances, both as the 8-seed, they’ve drawn LeBron James and the Cavaliers, this year’s top team again. The result of those confrontations? Sweep & sweep; eight games played and eight losses for the Detroiters.
A victory tonight over the Spurs would mean a great deal; not just for the movement in the standings, but to provide genuine proof that the December-January doldrums are behind this crew and that there could be much to look forward to in the season’s second half.
