PN welcomes back Jay Scott for his take on the Pistons latest run of greatness.
Detroit Pistons v. The East = Men Against Boys
Ok, now this is getting ridiculous! The last time I checked in with you guys, the Pistons were fresh off a 2-Point win over the NBA’s latest “Saviors”, The Boston Celtics, on December 19th. Who knew that would be last time an Eastern Conference team (not named the Chicago Bulls) would even be within ear shot of the Pistons!? In case you have been buried under a mountain of Christmas presents, or recovering from the stupor of another wasted Detroit Lions season here’s what the Pistons scores have looked like since they beat Boston two weeks ago:
Dec. 21: Pistons 94, Grizzlies 67 (Ouch!)
Dec. 23: Pistons 94, Rockets 82
Dec. 26: Pistons 101, Nets 83
Dec. 28: Pistons 114, Pacers 101
Dec. 29: Pistons 98, Pacers 92
Dec. 31: Pistons 114, Bucks 69 (Yikes!)
Jan. 2: Pistons 106, Wizards 93
That Plus the two wins prior to the Boston game equals 10 straight wins! And It’s not just that they are winning games, but how they are winning them. In the 7 games since the victory in Boston, the Pistons are scoring a robust 103 points per game, while giving up a mere 84. Those are 2004 Championship defensive numbers! It’s especially amazing considering Lindsey Hunter hasn’t played in over a week, and the starters have been playing reduced minutes! To stretch it out even further, the Pistons have won a staggering 17 of 19, and went 15-2 in December (which was their second best month in franchise history, next to the 16-1 mark that they posted in March 1989…a.k.a. the first championship season). Against the Eastern Conference alone, the Pistons have been downright merciless. They are 17-2 on the season against the East, including road wins in Boston, Orlando, Atlanta (Yes, That is actually a quality win), and Indiana. If it weren’t for those damn Chicago Bulls, who are the only team in the entire league to beat Detroit twice, the Pistons would be undefeated in their own Conference! As of right now, the Pistons already have a 10 Game lead in the Central Division over second-place Cleveland (remember them?). I think it’s basically safe to put that little “x” next to Detroit in the standings, you know the one they put next to Division winners in the newspaper.
Most of these games have been over before George Blaha could say “
Count That Baby…And A Foul!” Take Monday’s Game against Milwaukee for example. The Bucks were down 13 after the first quarter, 19 at Halftime, and a frightening 29 after three quarters! You know you’re in trouble when Chauncey Billups, who as Greg Kelser put it during the game “
Dunks about as often as Joe Dumars did“, is dropping two-handed dunks on you. In the 4th quarter, the Pistons had Primoz Brezec, Walter Herrmann, Rodney Stuckey, Arron Afflalo, and Amir Johnson on the floor…and they outscored the Bucks by 16! I think Hooper even got off a couple of jams on the Bucks. (As an Aside: The Bucks played so poorly that they shouldn’t receive a game check for that performance. Seriously, have some pride!)
This win streak has even caught the attention of the national media, including the Boston Celtics biggest cheerleading section; ESPN. Here’s what Tim Legler, former NBA bench jockey and noted Piston hater, had to say about the Pistons:”Right now, they seem all about getting back to being the East’s top contender for the NBA title. The Pistons’ story has been overshadowed by the rise of Boston. I expect the rematch of last month’s two-point Detroit win in Boston to be a great one…Those two teams are clearly the class of the East, and I fully expect them to meet in the East finals.” And the money shot: “In a seven-game series, I’d take Detroit.” Read The Rest of what the ESPN crew had to say
right here.
One thing that Legler also alluded to was the strong play of the Pistons bench (something I kinda pointed out when they won in Boston two weeks ago). They have been the catalyst behind a lot of these beat-downs. They bring instant energy and results allowing the starting 5 to get some rest and not having to worry about them squandering a lead, which was a major problem they had last year. The Pistons currently have five guys who come off their bench that have started or could start in this league: Jarvis Hayes, Lindsey Hunter, Jason Maxiell, Walter Hermann and Primoz Brezec. Plus you have Two Rookies who are making an immediate impact in Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo and young up and comer Amir Johnson. Hayes has been on fire ever since he picked up a brutal case of food poisoning in New Jersey. Maxiell is starting to look like a bigger, younger, more athletic version of Corliss Williamson. Lindsey Hunter can chill on the inactive list until he’s needed. Stuckey has become the first guard off the bench and has shown why they invested the 15th pick on him last summer with his ability to drive the lane and his underrated passing skills. Afflalo has all the makings of a tough defensive-minded guard who can get his own shot on the offensive end. And mark this down, at some point this season, Walter Herrmann will become an x-factor off that Pistons bench. Don’t let the fact he looks like Fabio in a headband, fool you. This dude’s game is sick! Manu Ginobili with an interior game sick!
Last game in Washington, the bench had it all on display. Jason Maxiell scored 15, with 8 boards, including a back-breaking put-back dunk at the 3rd quarter buzzer. Jarvis Hayes scored 12, including hitting three triples. Overall, they outscored the Wizards bench 33-8. Combine that with 5 starters in Double Figures and You have the 25th victory in 32 games for the Pistons. Things aren’t gonna be getting any easier for them as January will be a brutal month. They have 9 more road games this month, and after the Toronto game tomorrow night, they get the rematch with the saviors, errr, Celtics at the Palace on Saturday. Then, after a couple days off, the Pistons make the treacherous “Texas Two-Step” with a Wednesday night game in Dallas, then a Thursday night (:::coughs::: NBA Finals Preview) match-up with the World Champion Spurs. Plus, throw in at some point this month they have to play the ever dangerous :::gasp::: Chicago Bulls again, and you have the makings of a meat grinder. But if this current stretch of NBA carnage has shown anything, it has show that these Pistons are built for whatever the NBA Schedule makers throw at them. Who knows, maybe if they keep winning, the NBA will start having them play double-headers just to give the opposition a chance!
Until Next Time…Take Care, Happy New Year, and Go Pistons!
-Jay Scott (Piston Fan Since John Long was Wearing Short Shorts)
The Raptors will be playing their first game of 2008 tonight, it’s also their first home game since 
