Detroit Pistons Start Skid at Worst Possible Time
The Detroit Pistons had built a substantial lead for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, they're in danger of losing that spot. They led the Boston Celtics by more than five games, but a new four-game losing streak has put that in jeopardy as the playoffs loom next month.
Detroit Pistons hit slide as Boston Celtics heat up
That lead the Detroit Pistons held over the Boston Celtics has dwindled to 2.5 games. They are not nearly as comfortable as they once were. There's still time left this season, but as of now, when the Pistons have lost four in a row, that may not be a good thing.
"It's the NBA, right? And you look at the season, it's long," Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Everybody goes through difficult times or goes through a little bit of a rut. And we just found ours right now. And again, we've got plenty of time left to do what we got to do. Boston, obviously, is a good team. But we're not concerned about Boston."
They might want to reconsider that. While the Pistons are seemingly fading at a bad time, the Celtics are heating up. After getting blown out by the Charlotte Hornets, they got Jayson Tatum back after his torn Achilles last playoffs.
He missed about 300 days, but he looked solid in his return. The Celtics are 2-0 in games Tatum has played. He hasn't shot well, probably due to rust, but the Celtics are extremely dangerous with him. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers by double digits with Tatum shooting 6/16 from the field.
As he continues to knock off the rust, the Celtics will only get better, and the Pistons are now feeling them creep up in the standings. They need to handle themselves and their opponents, but Bickerstaff may regret saying he's not concerned about Boston in the standings.
Pistons aren't too concerned about recent skid
The Detroit Pistons haven't been losing to just anyone. They inexplicably lost to the Brooklyn Nets, but otherwise, the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and San Antonio Spurs are pretty good teams. They're all poised to make the playoffs or at least the Play-In, in Miami's case.
"Obviously, it's probably our biggest dose of adversity all year," veteran Tobias Harris said. "We'll be fine. Keep our head high and just on to the next. But along this way, along this journey, let's figure out ways that we can be better as a group."
Regardless, the simple fact that Detroit is here is impressive. Just a few years ago, they set the record for most consecutive losses. They had the worst record (or close to it) but fell to fifth in the lottery in back-to-back seasons. Now, they're, for now, atop the East.
"They've built a culture very quickly and the young players that they've had that were around two years ago really use that as fuel and motivation," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after facing them. "But it's hard to win in this league in general. It is even more of a challenge to win when you have a lot of young players. But I think Cunningham and Duren are wired a little bit differently than most young players."
Harris added, "In the locker room, it's not a joking-around mentality. We know we're supposed to win, but we know that we put the work and time into it. So, things are going to work in our favor. We'll figure it out, and we'll be right back on a winning streak and be ready, get ready for the playoffs."
The Pistons have 19 games to right the ship before the NBA playoffs begin.
