2018-19 Detroit Pistons

[softailrider]

This may be a "First Time in Detroit Sports History" moment.

All four major league teams threw in the towel on their season.

Lions [Golden Tate trade, nuf said], Tigers [thrown it for two seasons now], Red Wings [officially "sellers" in the upcoming trade deadline] and now the Pistons.

Has this ever happened before?

And how long will the Detroit sports playoff drought [now two years?] last?

I believe I’ve said it before, the team that can turn it around the quickest would definitely be the Lions. However, we all know what happens when you hitch your wagon to that star....

[EGrant]

I don't think this was swapping the deck chairs on the Titanic, I think they made smart moves. They were going to lose Reggie and Stanley at the end of the season anyway, might as well get some assets and clear some cap space.

The Heat traded two players and the Wizards lost John Wall and traded Otto Porter. There is a path for the Pistons to make the playoffs, just by the East being simply terrible.

They'll have to wait out two more seasons of bad contracts, but I'm happy they didn't trade picks or young players to win now.

[401don]

Tells you something about the abilities of Johnson and Bullock when you can lose them both and get better. Looks like we're going to see at least a couple of playoff games.

[sirrealone]

Johnson was always a liability. He'd have been great on the teams 10-15 years ago, but today's offensive-centered NBA has no place for a guy that can only contribute on defense.

[EGrant]

Reggie Jackson looks like a different player during this stretch. I've been critical of his game in the past, but at full health, he's changed how this team plays.

[Smirnoff]

FYI: No 8th seeded team has ever won a NBA championship.....objective should be winning a championship vs 8th seed playoff loss.

Just making the playoffs/expectation bar is set on the very lowest level.....

[Lowell]

Tells you something about the abilities of Johnson and Bullock when you can lose them both and get better. Looks like we're going to see at least a couple of playoff games.

Isn't that true. Both additions, Thon Maker [young,mlong and only going to get better] and Ellington, can make 3's. With Bullock gone the door has opened for Luke Kennard and wow the 3 point problem is greatly diminished.

But the key to this surge is the return of my favorite Piston, Ish Smith. When he plays they win; the record is there on that. The emergence of Mr. Chaos, Bruce Brown, has been a positive factor. Nice move by Casey to start him. In some ways he reminds me of a young Dennis Rodman--content to defend and play-make and only shoot when the clock has run out.

[EGrant]

Love Bruce Brown. If he can figure a few things out on offense, he'll have a long NBA career.

[Lowell]

How about those 'firing on all pistons' Pistons? I have to take back what I said above about them throwing in the towel on trading Reggie Bullock. Turns out the trades were good.

But reflecting on this turnabout, credit has to go to Blake Griffin for getting this team focused. Through all the ups and downs, he showed up with his lunch bucket and went to work every night--hard work, banging, crashing the boards and leading the league in taking charges.

He's a total pro who has shown an every-game work ethic that Reggie and Drum, who notoriously used to slack off and take nights off, have finally picked up on. I think the rookie Bruce Brown and Ish Smith, who play the same way, have also embarrassed them into playing hard all 48 minutes.

Injuries aside, we have a playoff team.

[Smirnoff]

Playoff team?

Against the Heat, outscored 33-8 in the 3rd-quarter.....final score: 103/75.

Yep, real ready......next.

[EGrant]

They had two bad games during a period where they went 13-5 starting in Feb. Even the Warriors have a few bad games in a row. To say they aren't a playoff team is a stretch.

After last night's win against the Lakers, they are back in the 6th seed and Indiana is back in the 3rd seed.

[401don]

Pistons are a playoff team but you can be below .500 and make the playoffs in the East. Last night was brutal. It took them well into the 4th qtr. to pull away from a bad Lakers team without Lebron that had 3 guys called up from the D league on the court at the same time. The play was incredibly sloppy. Pistons made more threes so they won.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

They have a 4 game trip out West, starting next week, to Portland, GS, Phoenix and Denver. That trip will help determine their fate. I only see them beating Phoenix, and that's not a gimme either.

[401don]

Much better effort against the Raptors yesterday. Nice for Casey to sweep his former team although Raptors didn't play at full strength in any of them. Raptors broadcasters stated Raptors fans outnumbered Pistons again and all the crowd noise for the Pistons was being pumped in by the arena. I know teams have done this for years but it still bugs me when I hear about it.

[EGrant]

Great win yesterday. The Raptors have always drawn well in Detroit; I think there's something to Toronto being the only NBA team in Canada. Lots of fans from Windsor made the trip last time Toronto was in town.

[Bliebs77]

Great win yesterday. The Raptors have always drawn well in Detroit; I think there's something to Toronto being the only NBA team in Canada. Lots of fans from Windsor made the trip last time Toronto was in town.

I was at the game and I would say it was 60/40 Pistons....maybe 65/35. Either way it was a great atmosphere and a great time. Let's get the #6 seed and see what happens!

[401don]

Incredibly dumb move resting Griffin against the Cavs for the "playoff drive". You're much more likely to lose those games out west with or without Griffin so why not be certain to get the win against a team you should beat and rest him out west.

[EGrant]

Pistons should have beaten the hapless Cavs without Kevin Love.

[Bliebs77]

Incredibly dumb move resting Griffin against the Cavs for the "playoff drive". You're much more likely to lose those games out west with or without Griffin so why not be certain to get the win against a team you should beat and rest him out west.

I agree; a win is a win. Solidify the ones you know are attainable. If anything, rest him for the GS and Denver games and have him ready to go for Portland and Orlando.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

I agree; a win is a win. Solidify the ones you know are attainable. If anything, rest him for the GS and Denver games and have him ready to go for Portland and Orlando.

You mean Phoenix, who they play tomorrow night.

[mtburb]

Wow do the Knicks really suck. The Pistons led by as much as 40 points. We've settled for 8th seed vs. Bucks.

[401don]

I said back in October on here the biggest problem would be trying to keep Griffin healthy all year. Well, they managed to keep him healthy until about 2 weeks ago, which was a lot longer than I thought. Quick playoff exit.

[EGrant]

Looking like a very tough series against Milwaukee, especially with Blake's injury. I have no idea who they are going to throw at Giannis on defense. GRIII? Bruce Brown? Pistons will be lucky to steal a game.

Still, I'm excited that the team is back in the playoffs.

[401don]

Looking like a very tough series against Milwaukee, especially with Blake's injury. I have no idea who they are going to throw at Giannis on defense. GRIII? Bruce Brown? Pistons will be lucky to steal a game.

Still, I'm excited that the team is back in the playoffs.

Excited enough to go to a game? If they're down 2-0 I fear they will be lucky to draw more than 10 or 12,000.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Looking like a very tough series against Milwaukee, especially with Blake's injury. I have no idea who they are going to throw at Giannis on defense. GRIII? Bruce Brown? Pistons will be lucky to steal a game.

Still, I'm excited that the team is back in the playoffs.

They have NOBODY to throw at Giannis. He's going to dominate the paint as he's done all season. Another concern will be Drummond staying out of foul trouble. With Blake's status unknown for the series, he needs to score more, along with Jackson, and help from the bench. Milwaukee is a deep team as well. It's going to be tough to just get 1 game, they already swept them 4-0 in the regular season.