Detroit Pistons Losing Edge in NBA Playoffs Race After Loss to Pacers

The Detroit Pistons swarmed the Indiana Pacers defensively early on but ultimately caved to their central division rivals Wednesday night, 89-108 – a 19-point blowout.

It was the type of start that catered to the old school NBA fan. Lots of defense. No offense for the Detroit Pistons or Indiana Pacers.

Before tip-off, the Detroit Pistons averaged 27.1 points in the first quarter since top the of the 2018-19 season. Detroit found themselves with 15 points after the first 12 minutes with a stark defensive effort that only allowed the Pacers three points more by the beginning of the second. Both teams suffered a slow start and picked things up as time waned on.

The Pacers did all but roll out the welcome mat for the Pistons to shoot themselves out of an annoying slump and take control of the night. A sub-30 percent three-point night from Detroit (26.8 percent) is admittedly not going to cut it against anyone, even if your opponent has only hit 28.6 percent of their long-range shots.

Without Blake Griffin in action for the Detroit Pistons, his squad was tested on the grit-and-grind battlefront. There are a few reasons why they were ultimately unsuccessful.

When Langston Galloway is cold, he’s cold.

Langston Galloway is classified as a shooter for the Detroit Pistons. Not that he lights up the bucket like a Stephen Curry or even a Malcolm Brogdon. When Galloway starts to hit, he can hit an opponent right in the mouth. Langston has 34 games where 60-plus percent of his points come from three-point field goals so yeah he lets it fly. It’s just when he has a night where he shoots 1-of-8 from the long line, the Pistons are in a lot of trouble.

The Pistons are not a super-talented three-point scoring club to begin with. Galloway’s instructions are simple when he is on the floor. Use your length to disrupt the opponents’ offense and keep your hands ready for the shot because we’re always going to be looking for your contributions from deep.

His shooting slumps hit the Detroit Pistons hard and with the postseason almost underway, his lack of consistency from beyond will add more questions than answers to an already overwhelmed squad. Questions like, “Should Glenn Robinson III be in or out of playoff rotation?”

Ehhh.

The NBA Playoffs are not promised for the Detroit Pistons.

Seeds six through nine are separated by a single game. That means along with the Brooklyn Nets, the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic, the Pistons are entirely fighting for their playoff lives right now. The loss to the Indiana Pacers only sets Detroit further back in the marathon that sees them in the postseason since 2016.

The culture brimming with pride and belief, Dwane Casey has tasked himself and his team with a Motor city basketball resurgence in relevancy. The Detroit Pistons’ stale offense in the first half of the Indiana Pacers’ game did not give weight to faith in his or their ability to do so just yet. Operative word being yet.

There’s some misinformation in regards to writers – at least those I respect from a distance and by affiliation – that cover the Detroit Pistons that the honesty is a cloak for general dislike or disrespect for the team. That could not be farther from the truth. It’s just generally accepted that Ish Smith’s 1-of-7 from the field against the Indiana Pacers or the team’s 20 turnovers are strides from their potential or requirement to get back to the playoffs this year.

Blake Griffin is a huge part of the Pistons’ offense and any other argument doesn’t have much validity. The Pacers were also without both Darren Collison and Wesley Matthews, key contributors to Indiana’s game plan moving forward. It wasn’t a level playing field on either end, but a poor-shooting night and several key errors of judgment on the court, the Detroit Pistons found themselves relinquishing the opportunity to create space in the playoff picture.

Andre Drummond brings the rebounds. But, Reggie Jackson helps bring the balance.

Andre Drummond is an astonishingly underrated center in today’s league of three-point shooting centers. Although at season’s start, Coach Casey voiced his desire to get Drummond on the edge more, the 25-year old walking double-double, has found his way, more or less. There’s something to Reggie Jackson being equally or even more vital to the whatever the height of Detroit’s potential is.

When he got into foul trouble early and had to sit in the first half, the Pistons suffered. His speed on the floor and primarily good-decision making skills are the screws. It helps to have a big man like Drummond to run the pick-and-roll with, but Jackson has developed into a more cerebral guard who harnesses his offensive recklessness. The Pistons need it. Things started to look up as he scored all of his 16 points in the second half, 13 of those points came in the third quarter.

Jackson’s 1-of-4 in the fourth quarter was not the sole dictator of the loss. His position of leadership on the team, however, requires more.

The road does not end here for the Detroit Pistons. There are four games left and each one will be critical in whether or not the squad is in or out. The first is on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.

Yeah. I know.