The Detroit Pistons were a dreadful team on the second game of back-to-backs last year, but they have advantages against the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Among the many shortcomings of the Detroit Pistons last year, perhaps none was as glaring as their dreadful performance on the second game of back-to-backs (SEGABABA) last year. The Pistons were 3-14 in such games a season ago, worst in the NBA, and they especially struggled on the road in those games.
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Saturday night the Pistons will face those demons when they travel to play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. It’ll be the first test they get to compare themselves to the inconsistent and maddening squad from a year ago.
The Knicks may be just the remedy for this problem. Without Carmelo Anthony and now with rookie Frank Ntilikina likely out, the Knicks expect to be bad this year, and a number of their weaknesses play into the Pistons strengths.
Primarily, the Knicks displayed an inability to take care of the ball, turning it over a staggering 26 times in their season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder recorded 14 steals and scored a remarkable 35 fast break points in that game.
At this early stage, the Thunder are first in the league with those 14 steals, and the Pistons are second with 13 steals per game. If the Knicks can’t take care of the ball, you can expect the Pistons to feast. They’re seventh in the league in fast break points with 12 per game, and that’s without Ish Smith having gotten on track yet.
Next: Pistons take on the Knicks at MSG
The Knicks are likely primed to allow Ish Smith (and lineups where he runs the point) a field day in transition. After a scrappy and intense game last night against the Washington Wizards, presenting an opportunistic Pistons transition offense with a runway down the court could be just what this team needs to get their first SEGABABA win of the season.