Detroit Pistons Are Dominating Half The Battle Of Becoming A Really Good Team
The Pistons are handling their business against bad teams and that is half the battle to becoming a really good team.
The Detroit Pistons are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference after demolishing the Utah Jazz in Utah by a score of 134-106. Cade Cunningham only had to play 30 minutes, Jalen Duren played less than 30 minutes, and Lindy Waters III even got five minutes of action to score eight points.
The Pistons handled their business early and kept it that way against a team they’re much better than, limiting stars’ usage and opening up minutes for end of bench favorites.
That is what good teams do.
The Detroit Pistons have been doing this all season long. Well, most of the season.
The Pistons seemed to have had an awakening about their season against the same Utah Jazz. On December 19th, the Pistons played the Jazz in Detroit. A team that is not better than them is in a completely different position regarding what they want from this season. The Pistons are competing for a playoff spot, the Jazz are competing for Cooper Flagg.
That game should be a gimme for a team like the Pistons. But, it wasn’t. The Pistons lost this game 126-119, resulting in many players voicing their frustrations about letting a game like this slip away.
Just read what Malik Beasley had to say about this loss: "We have to win these games. I felt like we were the better team tonight. But they came out and punched us in the face. We have to be better. We have to learn from it and move forward."
Beasley was right. You must handle your business against teams underneath you to be a playoff team. That is more than half the battle. And since this game, and since the Pistons veteran spoke out openly about the distaste of this loss, the Pistons have done precisely that.
As of March 4th, the Pistons have a record of 21-7 against teams below .500. They dominate teams that aren’t on their level, which is precisely what good teams do. Good teams don't have random nights where they don’t show up against a team not playing for anything.
People often get confused and think that to be a good team, you must beat other good teams consistently and more often. And while you must be able to win a portion of these games, unless you are one of the best *great* teams in the league, you will have a close to .500 record against good teams.
The Pistons as of March 4th have a record of 14-20 against teams above .500. That’s not something you’re gonna write home about. But, people must realize that more than half the battle within an 82-game regular season is about handling your business against teams you’re supposed to beat, and then scratching out enough wins against the quality teams to balance it out.
Let’s look at across the league.
The Memphis Grizzlies are fourth in the Western Conference. They have 38 wins, three more wins than the Pistons. Their record against above .500 teams?
14-16.
The Milwaukee Bucks, who are ahead of the Pistons in the East with 34 wins. Their record against teams over .500?
14-13.
Here are the names of the only teams with more than three wins than losses against teams over .500 on the season: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
(Clap it up for the Pacers and Timberwolves, that’s wildly impressive)
Almost all of those teams named are championship contenders. So, no, I don’t think anyone is getting Detroit confused as a championship contender; nor is that the purpose or goal of this season. The goal of this season is to be respected as a good team. And the Pistons have done precisely what good teams do.
By the way, the Pistons have played 34 games against teams over .500. That’s eight more games than the Pacers have played, seven more games than the Bucks, and four more than the Knicks. The only teams that have played as many or more games against above .500 teams in the East are the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, and the Washington Wizards.
It’s not like the Pistons are getting this much more manageable schedule. They’re playing good teams more often than every other playoff team in the East, and the only teams with more wins against above .500 teams in the East are Indiana, the big three (Cleveland, Boston, New York), and Atlanta (shout out Quin Snyder).
But, let’s flip it. How many teams are pummeling through teams they’re supposed to beat more than Detroit?
Cleveland at 26-3, Boston at 22-7, New York at 23-6.
That’s the list.
The Pistons have entirely separated themselves from the Play-In Tournament because they are not having off nights and are not losing to teams they shouldn’t. And if, and I believe *when*, the Pistons jump Milwaukee and Indiana in the standings, it’ll be because of Coach Of The Year candidate J.B. Bickerstaff has his teams prepared more often than any other team, outside of the big three, in the Eastern Conference on a night in and night out basis.
This is why the Pistons have the fourth-best net rating of any team since the change of the new year at +7.0. Margin of victory is another way of evaluating how good a team is, and the Pistons are blitzing teams since the New Year.
Are the Pistons a championship contender?
No. That is where the next step, being able to beat teams on the same level as you more often, comes into play. They’re not on the level of the big three in the Eastern Conference. They’re not going to surge past any of them in the standings.
Are the Pistons a really good team that does demolition jobs on teams that shouldn’t share the court with them? Absolutely.
Will that put them in a position to have home court advantage in Cade Cunningham’s first playoff series? I believe so.
The Pistons are excelling this season and handling their business almost every night. That loss on December 19th was the punch in the mouth they needed.
Oh, and just real quick: Since the change of the New Year, that record against above .500 teams?
6-6, with wins coming against the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics.
Maybe Detroit is even better than I am giving them credit for! Guess we will see!