Category → Game Preview
Pistons’ draft outlook uncertain on season’s final day
Essentials
- Teams: at Detroit Pistons (27-52)
- Date: April 17, 2013
- Time: 8 p.m.
- Television: Fox Sports Detroit
Draft implications
The Pistons could finish with as high as a two-way tie for the No. 6 seed and as low as a two-way tie for the No. 8 seed in the lottery, depending on tonight’s results. As a reminder, ties for draft order are broken by random draw.
Detroit also could acquire the Clippers’ second round pick, which is top-55 protected but would not go to the Pistons in a future season.
There a lot of games that will affect both picks, but let’s make it simple.
Rooting guide
Keep in mind, this is strictly which teams to root for to improve the Pistons’ draft pick:
- Nets (vs. Pistons)
- Wizards (at Bulls)
- Kings (vs. Clippers)*
- Timberwolves (at Spurs)
- Clippers (at Kings)*
- Jazz (at Grizzlies)
- Suns (at Nuggets)
*If the Pistons win, root for the Clippers without hesitation. Otherwise, you’ll have to decide whether slotting in the lottery or having an additions second-round pick is more important.
Read about the Nets
Hosting Philadelphia 76ers
Essentials
- Teams: Philadelphia 76ers (33-47) at Detroit Pistons (28-52)
- Date: April 15, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
The city of Philadelphia certainly didn’t get what it was hoping for this season. Whether it’s the Eagles or the 76ers, things just didn’t pan out as anticipated.
Both the football and basketball teams collected a little talent and had hopes of competing in the postseason and making some noise. But unfortunately for the Philadelphia faithful, it just wasn’t meant to be.
Although they were aided by the injury of Derrick Rose, the 76ers still participated in the second round of the 2012 playoffs.
In the offseason they traded the face of the franchise in Andre Iguodala and brought back Andrew Bynum. The former Laker center was supposed to turn them into a contender.
No one in the Eastern Conference would have been able to match with Drew. His size and skill were simply far too imposing. And yet, when we fast-forward to the present, it seems as though the team has imploded.
Doug Collins is reportedly stepping down at season’s end and the city of Brotherly Love still has yet to see Bynum play for them. The big man has been injured all season and is scheduled to become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2012-13 campaign.
Now that Collins is apparently headed out the door, he will stop being part of the blame game. His jump shot offense is about to become a thing of the past.
The drawback should be evident mind you: the present and future of the Sixers is incredibly cloudy.
Anticipating their next moves has become a risky proposition. The only thing we know for sure right now is they have a game tonight against the Pistons at the Palace.
And well, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement now is it?
Read about the 76ers
About the Charlotte Bobcats…
Essentials
- Teams: Charlotte Bobcats (18-60) at Detroit Pistons (27-52)
- Date: April 12, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
The bottom of the standings is a lonely place.
Especially in the Eastern Conference.
The Charlotte Bobcats currently reside on this terrain and should they finish the season there, they will have done so in back-to-back seasons.
This will give Michael Jordan an opportunity to continue building through the draft, but look at how that turned out for the Los Angeles Clippers. It literally took them generations before the strategy resulted into any type of success.
And let’s not forget, the Clips acquired Blake Griffin via the NBA draft and then assembled players through trades and free agency. This seems pertinent because the Bobcats don’t look like a team that will go that route in the near future.
Forget mediocrity, these guys might be bad for a while. And even worse, they might be alone.
The bad teams will get better.
The Cleveland Cavaliers might be a losing team at present time, but they have pieces that bring optimism. The Washington Wizards have looked far better with John Wall back in the fold running the point for them.
The Orlando Magic’s record is similar to Charlotte’s, but the Magic have gems on their roster that could potentially become studs.
The Philadelphia 76ers have the ongoing saga with Andrew Bynum, but if he is ever healthy enough to play, the Sixers are more than likely a playoff team. The Toronto Raptors on the other hand now have a core of Rudy Gay, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas to fall back on.
That leaves us with one non-playoff east team: the Detroit Pistons.
After watching the Cavs self-destruct against them on April 10, Detroit earned their 27th win of the season. Let’s not mince words here: the Pistons are the one Eastern Conference team that’s toughest to predict going forward.
Whether it’s internal improvement or bringing in new players, the direction isn’t quite clear-cut. The young guys have a chance to be really good, but it might take some time.
In that sense, the Pistons are a little similar to the Magic. They have a few intriguing pieces and will be armed with cap room at the end of the season. But will the team allow the roster to grow, or will it invest in overpriced veteran players?
With the offseason right around the corner for the Pistons, we should be getting an answer relatively soon. But one thing seems fairly clear at this juncture: the Pistons should still be better than the Bobcats next year.
Read about the Bobcats
Battle against the Cavs
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (26-52) at Cleveland Cavaliers (24-53)
- Date: April 10, 2013
- Time: 7:00 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
The Detroit Pistons finally exercised some demons. Kind of.
They defeated the Chicago Bulls on April 7 by double figures after losing back-to-back games. The Bulls might be headed to the postseason, but the Pistons weakened their division rivals at least for one day.
In keeping up with rivalries, Detroit will be at the Quicken Loans Arena tonight in a head-to-head battle with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
There are certain teams in sports that manage wins no matter how improbable it may seem. Regardless of the deficit, they find ways to just grind the game out and eventually come out victorious.
When Karl Malone and John Stockton played for the Utah Jazz late in their careers, they had that ability. The same can be said about Michael Jordan’s Bulls late in his run.
Those teams exhibited a tremendous amount of mental toughness. Regardless of the circumstances, they never got rattled.
The 2012-13 Cleveland Cavaliers are the exact opposite. Regardless of the size of their lead, it always feels like the other shoe is about to drop. Byron Scott’s team has displayed their youth on far too many occasions this season.
Whether at home or on the road, they have this perplexing tendency of getting comfortable with leads. And once they get punched in the mouth, they rarely recover.
The Cavs’ late game execution is suspect at best and this also ties into their inability to comfortably win games going away. When opponents go on runs and make the contest tight late, Kyrie Irving and company fall apart.
It’s quite intriguing really. Irving is third in total clutch (defined as last five minutes of a game with scoring margin within five points) scoring in the NBA this season.
The Cavaliers’ defense just hasn’t been up to par this year, and Irving’s teammates struggle in providing him any form of relief late in ball games. Cleveland’s execution is poor and they rely far too much on Irving’s one-on-one skills.
Take last night’s defeat against the Indiana Pacers as an example. The Cavs held a huge lead entering the fourth quarter but the Pacers fought back and took the lead late.
The Cavs offense faltered but they still had a decent shot late. Trailing the Pacers by two points, the former Blue Devil got into the lane and scored while drawing a foul. A great play all around except for one thing: the foul call was a charge.
Ball game.
These issues are far more obvious when the Cavs’ star is out of the lineup. On March 27, Cleveland had a one-point lead at home against the Boston Celtics and self-destructed.
Shaun Livingston dribbled down the entire shot clock and pulled up for a terrible mid-range jumper that clanked off the rim. The Celtics recovered the ball and scored off an inbounds play with Jeff Green getting a layup (!) to win the game.
Prior to that, Cleveland held a 27-point lead at home against the Miami Heat and shot themselves in the foot.
Regardless of time and score, if Lawrence Frank and company simply play their brand of basketball and impose their will on the young Cavs, they might force them into wilting.
Granted, it’s obviously easier said than done. After all, both teams have similar records.
Read about the Cavs
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Hosting the Bulls
Essentials
- Teams: Chicago Bulls (42-33) at Detroit Pistons (25-52)
- Date: April 7, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
This game is about two teams headed in incredibly different directions. The Chicago Bulls have been without Derrick Rose for the entirety of the season but they haven’t used that as an excuse to underperform.
The Bulls are currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference standings and have won six-of-eight contests. They also sport a positive scoring differential and have a shot at defeating the Brooklyn Nets in the opening round of the playoffs.
Tom Thibodeau’s leadership and direction have made the Bulls an incredibly tough out. Heck, the head coach’s success allowed him to recently sign a contract extension despite the long odds the team faced this season.
Murphy’s Law just doesn’t hit Chicago like it does other NBA cities.
The Detroit Pistons on the other hand are nowhere near close to being a .500 team. They’ve lost 8-of-10 games and do not seem to have a clear direction.
In addition, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, Pistons’ coach Lawrence Frank might as well start looking for a new job in the offseason:
League coaching sources consistently submit Frank’s name as poised for dismissal when the regular seasons ends […]
The Pistons sport the third worst scoring differential in the east (minus-4.8) and have often looked listless.
The irony here of course is not lost on some of us. The last time Chicago and Detroit faced off on March 31, the Bulls were victorious in a fairly tight and competitive game that was decided by a point.
An argument could be made that both teams aren’t truly that far off, but the debate quickly ends when we take at look at the standings and notice the 17 wins separating both teams.
Detroit’s loss in Minnesota last night is somewhat indicative of the season as a whole. Despite facing a Timberwolves team with issues scoring the ball, they allowed Rick Adelman’s unit to hit them up for 107 points thanks to 24 turnovers.
Taking on the Bulls tonight should be a tougher task, but perhaps playing a divisional opponent at home should get them focused and lead to a good head-to-head matchup.
Perhaps.
Read about the Bulls.
Vengeance in Minnesota?
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (25-51) at Minnesota Timberwolves (28-47)
- Date: April 6, 2013
- Time: 8:00 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
After winning back-to-back games against the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, the Minnesota Timberwolves were humbled last night at home by the Toronto Raptors.
The Wolves’ diminutive backcourt got taken advantage of.
DeMar DeRozan’s eyes lit up for most of the night with Luke Ridnour defending him. The Raptors’ highflyer posted up his defender and also showed tremendous comfort in his jump shots given that he knew it wouldn’t be blocked.
DeRozan scored 25 points on 12-for-23 field goal shooting.
The contest was quite a contrast in offensive philosophies. Toronto relied mostly on isolations for both DeRozan and Gay in crunch time to close out the game.
Minnesota on the other hand ran their offense and manufactured some quality looks.
The Wolves set some interior screens for Nikola Pekovic who was simply a brute force on the block. The beauty in Rick Adelman’s offense is the multiple counters. His plays are designed to take advantage of all the defensive adjustments opponents make.
Against the Raptors last night, straight post ups for Pekovic also had a quick counter for an aggressive off-ball double team. Indeed, when a perimeter player stood in the path of the Wolves’ center to prevent him from catching the ball, Ricky Rubio would either run a rapid pick-and-roll with the free perimeter player or have him set a screen for another player, thus creating motion on the court.
Rubio and company almost came away with the win. However, Toronto had the one thing — and they actually had two of them — that Minnesota did not: shot creators and makers.
Rubio was terrific at getting Pekovic the ball on the interior with good scoring opportunities, but once the Raptors allocated some extra defensive attention his way, Adelman’s unit had some issues putting points on the board late.
The Wolves just don’t have any quality shooters on the roster and they lack players capable of creating shots for themselves against tough defense. This was quite evident last night as Rubio was tasked with steering the offense and creating shots late.
This explains why the Wolves are only scoring 96.7 points per 100 possessions in the clutch (defined as last five minutes of the game with scoring margin within five points or less) per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool. That figure is among the worst in the league this season.
The last time the Detroit Pistons faced off against the Wolves, they were blown out at home. However, if the contest this evening is close with five minutes left, Rodney Stuckey and company should have an advantage.
By using Greg Monroe at the elbows, Detroit could potentially invert their offense and post up Stuckey especially if defended by J.J. Barea or Ridnour.
Granted, the Pistons are subpar in terms of late game execution, but they might just have better horses than the Timberwolves, and it could prove to be the difference.
Read about the Timberwolves
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Pistons to affect Celtics’ playoff hopes?
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (25-50) at Boston Celtics (38-36)
- Date: April 3, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
The Boston Celtics should be getting ready for the playoffs. Emphasis on the word should.
But with Kevin Garnett nursing an ankle injury and Paul Pierce missing Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, one is left wondering whether they have a plan in place as it pertains to the postseason.
At present time, Boston has not yet clinched a playoff spot. Thus, winning is still a requirement for this team if they plan on partaking in the tournament.
Granted, because they are an older team, Doc Rivers might be using unconventional wisdom.
The Celtics’ faithful are hoping the team grabs the seventh seed in the east, which would have them avoid the defending champions in the first round.
Mind you the Celtics might not be good enough for a battle with the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. The lack of youth and numerous injuries that go hand-in-hand with that make it as such that LeBron and company could potentially easily dispatch them in such a setting.
But in the first round of the playoffs, that might be the healthiest the Cs will be at any point during the second season. Combine that with the fact that Boston always plays Miami tough, and it’s not inconceivable that Rivers would tank for an opportunity to face them in the opening round of the playoffs.
Hence, losing just a few games here and there might not necessarily be the worst idea for the franchise if they truly feel as though they can out the Heat.
Let’s face it: the Celtics aren’t winning any first round matchup without the services of Kevin Garnett.
Per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool, when the Big Ticket is on the floor, the Celtics have the second best defense in the league statistically, right behind the Indiana Pacers. Remove Garnett from the equation though and we’re looking at a bottom 10 ranking.
More importantly, Miami’s league-leading offense drops to roughly ninth overall when they play Boston with KG on the hardwood.
Garnett’s ability to disrupt the pick-and-roll with his quickness and hands are a huge plus against the Heat. He can help and recover quite quickly, which grants him an opportunity to patrol the paint and bump off cutters.
The Celtics have faced a few injuries here and there as of late and that’s a big part of the reason why they have only won three of their last 10 games.
So what to make of all of this entering tonight’s contest with the Detroit Pistons?
Well, Boston’s final eight games will feature five opponents with records under .500. Rivers may very well decide to give his regulars their normal amount of time or simply reduce their load and give every one some playing time much like he did Monday night against Minnesota.
Giving seldom used players minutes will keep guys in the normal rotation fresh and also give the bench players much needed confidence should they be needed in the postseason.
In other words, the Pistons starters might be getting a fairly substantial amount of playing time against second unit players tonight.
If this is Rivers’ plan, he will be labeled as one of two things: genius or buffoon.
Taking out the Heat in the first round would give them a great opportunity at reaching the Finals no matter how improbable it may seem.
There’s no way to know with certainty if this is the Celtics’ plan, but if it is, I must say I’m in favor.
However, what it also means is this: Rivers might be counting on the Pistons to help him out tonight.
Read about the Celtics
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Rematch in Toronto
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (24-50) at Toronto Raptors (27-46)
- Date: April 1, 2013
- Time: 7:00 p.m.
- Television: FS Detroit Plus
What to look for
The Detroit Pistons have lost 13 of their last 14 games entering tonight. The lone victory they secured in this recent stretch was against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Lawrence Frank and company will be in Toronto this evening with an opportunity at extracting vengeance against the Raptors. The last time these two squads met on March 29, the Raps were victorious at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
In that contest, the Pistons gave up 54 points in the paint and 53.7 percent field goal shooting. Amir Johnson, Rudy Gay, Jonas Valanciunas and DeMar DeRozan all had great nights.
These very same Raptors are coming off a tough defeat in D.C. at the hands of the Washington Wizards last night.
After trailing by 20 points, Dwane Casey’s unit trimmed down the deficit and the scoreboard read 96-88 with six minutes left in the game. With a few stops and scores, Gay and company could have made the game interesting.
Instead, Washington’s defense forced the Raptors into tough shots and turnovers, closing the game with a 13-4 run.
Detroit on the other hand is coming off a nail biting loss from yesterday at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls made a few more plays than the Pistons in their 95-94 win.
Luol Deng had a monster game with 28 points and nine rebounds, while Nate Robinson came off the bench to score 16. Both players combined for two late 3-pointers in the final minutes of the game that helped Chicago secure the victory.
Andre Drummond played big against the Bulls’ frontline, snatching 14 rebounds in 23 minutes of playing time.
If the Pistons’ frontline can reproduce the effort from last night’s loss in Chicago, it should go a long towards given them an opportunity at beating the Raptors. Valanciunas and Johnson outperformed their counterparts the last time around and led the Raps to victory.
Consequently, rebounding and interior scoring will be areas of focus in this head-to-head matchup.
Read about the Raptors
Road game in Chicago
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (24-49) at Chicago Bulls (39-32)
- Date: March 31, 2013
- Time: 7:00 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
Yesterday, the Chicago Bulls won a tough grind it out game against the Dallas Mavericks. They played with composure and grit.
Their defense puts the clamps on the Mavericks and forced them into some tough shots. That’s how Thibodeau’s team was able to win the game for 47 minutes and 57 seconds. A quick glance at the game’s box score though reveals a completely different result.
The Mavericks were actually victorious by two points. Confused? Well you should be, because that’s exactly how Bulls fans and players felt after yesterday’s game.
With 4:07 left on the clock last night, Chicago led 97-85 on the road.
The Mavs still had time left for a run but the odds seemed incredibly slim. With two minutes left on the game clock, Rick Carlise’s group was now facing an eight-point deficit with a score of 97-89.
And then, the Bulls completely self-destructed down the stretch.
They tried running two-man game action on one side of the floor, which was smart but poorly executed. Luol Deng got a switch against Mike James and forced up a low percentage shot.
Nate Robinson recklessly drove to the hoop a few times and either forced up a bad shot or coughed up the ball.
Carlisle ordered a trap on Robinson every time he crossed half-court, and it sped up the point guard’s decision-making process. The end result was a rushed offense.
The Bulls missed a multitude of looks late and also only converted one-of-three free throws in the last two minutes with the game hanging in the balance.
Dallas on the other hand got Dirk Nowitzki — only their best player, no big deal — three open shots from 3-point range in the final 60 seconds of play. He drilled two of them.
The last one came with 2.9 seconds left and gave the Mavericks a 100-98 lead. His final shot gave the Mavericks the win as well as an opportunity at a postseason berth.
This might have been the weirdest game of the season for the Bulls. The same team that ended the Miami Heat’s 27-game winning streak fell at the hands of a Mavs team in a situation where they normally excel.
Chicago didn’t just stop scoring against Dallas, they also gave up a fair amount of points.
In order to highlight just how uncharacteristic of the Bulls the late game collapse against the Mavericks was, consider this nugget: with the scoring margin within five points or less in the last five minutes of the game, Chicago has the 10th best offense and defense in the league per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool.
They have wing stoppers in Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler, coupled with an aggressive defense that goes after players.
Offensively, Deng is a tough matchup out on the perimeter and Carlos Boozer is a decent midrange shooter. Add the wildcard that is Nate Robinson, and that makes for an unpredictable offense.
But that’s just it; the Bulls game plan seemed scripted last night and that hurt them.
Matt McHale of Bulls by the Horns summed it up best:
Dallas closed out the game on a 15-1 run as Chicago’s offense — which had been pretty darn good all game long — went into a coma.
This served as remainder that anything can happen on any given night.
The Detroit Pistons are probably hoping to cash in some of that magic if you will. An argument could be made that Dallas got lucky, but teams create their own luck.
And tonight, the onus rests on the Pistons to do the exact same thing.
Read about the Bulls
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Toronto comes to the Palace
Essentials
- Teams: Toronto Raptors (26-45) at Detroit Pistons (24-48)
- Date: March 29, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
After getting routed at home by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Detroit Pistons will be attempting to bounce back tonight when they host the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors have lost five games in a row. In addition, they’ve had back-to-back losses by double digits entering tonight’s contest in Detroit.
Much like Detroit, Toronto’s most recent contest was a blowout defeat at home.
The Raptors played against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night and took a 10-point lead at halftime on the strength of Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan’s play.
Both players made a living inside the paint by using curl screens and drives. They got a multitude of looks right at the rim but then fell apart in the second half because of the Hawks’ defensive adjustments.
Atlanta’s offense came alive in the final two quarters and nailed open shot after open shot against a seemingly helpless Raptors defense.
Dwane Casey’s unit was essentially ATL stomped.
Reviewing the game film from the Raptors’ sound beating should reveal a couple of things that should favor Detroit.
Amir Johnson is quite possibly Toronto’s best interior defender and he left the game early in the third quarter due to a left leg contusion. This gave Jonas Valanciunias an opportunity at anchoring the paint for the Raptors both offensively and defensively.
The rookie big man fought valiantly for post position and got himself some terrific looks at the basket.
On the other side of the ball, he played good interior defense against Al Horford and made him work for position. Mind you, this is a matchup that unquestionably favors the Pistons.
It’s not Valanciunas is easily moved on the block defensively, but rather that his lack of NBA experience affords him no leverage whatsoever with officials. He often gets mauled on the interior without repercussion.
Once his assignment catches the ball in the post, whatever contact he initiates usually results in foul calls. Thus, Detroit’s interior players should be presented with decent scoring opportunities against the rookie.
Also, the Hawks took away the curls and drives by having Jeff Teague play off Kyle Lowry.
Indeed, Teague’s responsibility in the second half was to ignore Lowry whenever he passed the ball and sit on players coming off screens. The Raptors lack of perimeter shooting and offensive sophistication hurt them on this front.
They never truly adjusted.
Lawrence Frank’s big men obviously are nowhere near as mobile and active as the Hawks’ frontcourt. Thus, the Pistons’ coaching staff probably won’t have the possibility of replicating the exact same game plan as Atlanta.
However, borrowing a few concepts from Larry Drew can’t hurt.
