PistonPowered
Fansided

How come the Detroit Pistons only beat good NBA teams?

By Stuart London

Jan 28, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant (9) handles the ball while defended by Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma (0) during the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant (9) handles the ball while defended by Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma (0) during the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Detroit Pistons Jerami Grant
Jan 25, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant (9) grabs the rebound in the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Better than record theory: Detroit Pistons are a better team than their record shows

This is statistically true. In Basketball-Reference’s projected record, the Pistons should be 9-17 at this point.

Let’s remember the games (T-Wolves, Cleveland) where Detroit had the a win virtually sewed-up, only to suffer fourth quarter collapses of such epic proportions, they ended up losing.

There are also some games (first Bucks game, Suns, Jazz) where they started off so slow, giving the other team 20+ point leads, that even though they outplayed them for them for 3 out of 4 quarters, it was too big a deficit to make up.

If you simply rated the games by Detroit outplaying the opponent, rather than wins and losses, it would be even.

On most nights, Detroit does not look like one of the worst teams in the NBA, they just lose. However, maybe, they have extra incentive to show up the titans of the league.

Coaching theory: Is Dwane Casey outcoaching the other team’s coach so badly, it makes up for talent deficit?

I know a lot of people will be upset with this theory.

Despite his many detractors, Casey is a former NBA Coach of the Year and won a lot of games in Toronto.

It was the playoffs where he got tripped up, but he has always been thought of as a top-notch regular season coach.

Is Casey running rings around Brad Stevens, Frank Vogel and Doc Rivers? Well, he has beaten all three of them with what is arguably inferior talent. That is the very definition of outcoaching.

Here are things we have seen from the Casey coached Pistons this year:

  • They hustle, you rarely see Detroit get outworked.
  • They do not get intimidated. While some teams might have laid down at the sight of LeBron James, Detroit takes the fight right to him.
  • Pistons have shown, time and again, a great competitive spirit. No matter the score, they are always playing hard until the end.

Some fans have a problem with Casey’s rotations and, sometimes, a pattern is hard to discern from game to game. However, he always has the team ready to play.

In the NBA, particularly with a compacted schedule, some teams honestly do not give 100-percent effort every game. Even his worst detractors have to admit Casey does have them working hard.

Home/Pistons News