Pistons Continue the Road Trip Against the Defending Champs
By Tim Brokke
After a surprising win in dramatic fashion last night against the Portland Trailblazers, the Pistons must quickly turn their attention to their next opponent- the Golden State Warriors. This is an excellent example of why you can not get too caught up with an individual victory in the NBA, as you are playing quality teams night in and night out.
Tonight’s opponent, of course, is not your average quality team. Golden State has started their title defense by dismantling teams. Over the summer, there was a lot of talk about the Warriors winning the championship as a result of “luck” as other contending teams had significant injuries.
Well, the Warriors heard this narrative, and have set out to destroy the notion that they were not deserving of last year’s title. They have started the season 7-0, while outscoring opponents by 18.3 points per contest, according to espn.com. To put it in perspective, that point differential would shatter NBA point differential records over the course of an entire season.
So, how does a team playing its third straight game on the road, on the second night of a back-to-back, come into the champ’s house and beat them (as 14 point underdogs nonetheless)?
Key Questions to Consider:
How do you stop the Splash Brothers? It’s almost ridiculous to put Klay Thompson in any grouping with Steph Curry at this point. Not because of Klay being a poor player, as he was an all-star last year. But no player has dominated this early season to the degree that last season’s MVP has. To answer the question, you can’t stop this duo. You can only try to limit their effectiveness.
When the Warriors go small, how will the Pistons counter? The Warriors have this terrorizing lineup where they place Draymond Green at the 5, and have an entire lineup of shooters/playmakers. It is a sight to behold for fans of basketball, and downright scary for opposing teams. Does Van Gundy stay big to try to force the Warriors out of that lineup? The only hope to hurt this lineup is for Drummond to pummel them on the glass. Which we all know quite well he is more than capable of doing.
What will the Pistons’ bench do? Detroit’s bench has been atrocious, to put it kindly. How will the bench perform against a bench loaded with playmakers? Watching Steve Blake attempt to defend Shaun Livingston’s length or Leandro Barbosa’s speed will undoubtedly bring stress to Piston fans, but can the bench be semi-competitive for 12-16 minutes? If they can, the Pistons will have a far better chance of pulling off the upset.
My Prediction:
The Pistons have shown incredible resilience throughout this early season. They will need that type of resilience to be within striking distance in the fourth quarter tonight. There’s almost no scenario where I see the Pistons pulling this one out, aside from major injuries to Golden State. I believe the Pistons will hang tough, but the road trip magic ends tonight.
108-99 Warriors
What’s your prediction Piston fans?