Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (10-23) at San Antonio Spurs (21-14)
- Date: January 6
- Time: 8:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
Get in the Game
The Detroit Pistons will play against the San Antonio Spurs tonight, in of Tuesday’s two mere contests on the NBA calendar.
The defending champs will play this game at home, where they are a misleading 12-5. There home record isn’t great, but one should take it with a grain of salt because head coach Gregg Popovich often plays the role of a mad genius experimenting in a laboratory.
His greatest science project involves chemistry. Indeed, Popovich routinely sits down his starters during the roughest stretches of the regular season in an attempt to give his best players some rest. He saves their legs, while in turn feeding minutes to his second unit.
It usually makes for a slow start – as far as the Spurs are concerned – but San Antonio typically rounds into form a little before the All-Star break. The starters and bench players normally find the ideal way to complement each other, which makes the Spurs one of the league’s most formidable opponents.
As a result, San Antonio continues to compete for championships despite the fact it has an aging roster and a talent pool that some might qualify as inferior to other teams in the Western Conference.
It’s worth noting, I’m cheating just a little. The Spurs have utilized the rest formula for years, and as a result, history offers a guide as it pertains to its effectiveness. Things are going to eventually work out for the team, but San Antonio isn’t there…yet.
It currently ranks as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference standings. Popovich has provided his players with the usual rest program as evidenced by the fact that no one on the team has appeared in every game this season. That’s par for the course, although there have been a few concerns regarding Kawhi Leonard.
He’s nursing a hand injury that was thought to be quite serious initially. However, the reigning Finals MVP will reportedly rejoin his teammates in two weeks. That’s big news considering he’s the second best defender on team – behind the immortal Tim Duncan – and San Antonio’s best athlete.
His return will help the Spurs build onto their championship habits, a scary proposition for the rest of the league. The Spurs aren’t quite there yet, though.
Sure, they still boast a top-five defense, and that alone will keep them in games. But the juggernaut offense that led to the most lopsided NBA Finals series victory in league history (last season) has not yet found its footing.
In other words, a Pistons team that’s coming off of a five-game winning streak could very well have a chance tonight in San Antonio despite Detroit’s sub-.500 record.
Injury note: Tony Parker will return to the lineup tonight after missing five games with a hamstring injury.
Read about the Spurs