Top 10 moments of the 2020-21 Detroit Pistons season

3. Bye, bye Blake (March 5, 2021)

Blake Griffin became instantly the face of the Detroit Pistons franchise when they acquired him on January 29, 2018 in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Griffin had an All-NBA season in 2019-20 and led the Pistons to the playoffs. However, Griffin suffered from a knee injury he reaggravated by trying to play in the post-season, and he has never looked the same since.

However, with the untradeable massive contract that paid him a total of about $70 million over the next two seasons, most figured Griffin was here for a while.

But it was announced on February 13 that Griffin would no longer play with Detroit.

With no trade prospects, Griffin was given his release on March 5. He signed with the Brooklyn Nets a few days later,

It was an amicable parting at the time, but Pistons fans noticed Griffin seemed to be playing better with Brooklyn than he had in Detroit. His legs certainly were better, as he was dunking in games with the Nets, while he had not dunked in a Pistons uniform in two years.

When the Nets came to Detroit, Griffin was not greeted so warmly. Griffin is now the starting center for Brooklyn at the start the playoffs.

The aftermath might have been a bit messy, but for the past couple of years, Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons were synonymous with each other.

2. LeBron, Lakers in slugfest with Pistons in L.A. (Feb. 26. 2021)

It was not a win, but, by far, the most entertaining game of the season for the Detroit Pistons came when they went to the Staples Center to face the Los Angeles Lakers.

Unfortunately, since it was a 10 p.m. start back in Detroit, many fans had to miss a great game. as it did not end until 1 a.m.

The Pistons had run the Lakers out of Little Caesars Arena earlier in the season, but they did not have Anthony Davis. The Lakers had Davis for the rematch.

Although both were still on the team, neither Blake Griffin or Derrick Rose played.

The Lakers had as much as an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter but, as we know, the Pistons never quit. A layup by Josh Jackson tied the score with three seconds left, and the game went to overtime.

Detroit led most of the first overtime, but Davis made a dunk to tie the score with 18 seconds left, and the game went to a second OT.

LeBron James (33 points in 47 minutes) hit two three-pointers in the second overtime and the Lakers pulled out a 135-129 victory.

Jerami Grant had 32 points but leading the charge at the end was Josh Jackson, who scored 28 points off the bench.

The look on James’ face from the fourth quarter on, looking upset that the Lakers were fighting for their life, at home, against a Detroit Pistons team without their two biggest names, was priceless.

1. Welcome back Pistons! (December 26, 2020)

It had been a long time since Little Caesars Arena had hosted a Detroit Pistons game. The last home game was March 7, 2020, a loss to the Utah Jazz.

Detroit had been on a road trip when the NBA shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many NBA teams, after a three-month absence, returned to play, but in a Bubble created at DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida. But the Pistons did not take part in it, as they were too far back to make the playoffs.

A mini-training camp bubble at the Henry Ford Performance Center is the only activity Detroit was allowed to hold. Many of the veterans did not even show up.

Since the NBA seemed most concerned with making sure LeBron James got enough rest after winning the title in the Bubble, dates like mid-January or even February were bandied about as possible starting dates.

It looked like it might be almost a year before Detroit would get to play a basketball game again.

However, Commissioner Adam Silver (after being told by the TV networks they had no interest in televising games during the Summer Olympics in July) rammed through a December, 2020 start.

The Lakers might have been bummed, but the sooner the better as far as Detroit was concerned.

The Pistons opened the season with a tough loss at Minnesota, where they blew a late lead. Then it was back to the Motor City for the home opener against Cleveland.

The Cavaliers were expected to be a playoff team at that point (this is how long ago this was). Detroit lost leads late in the fourth quarter and first overtime and fell, 128-119, in two overtimes.

But Blake Griffin scored 26 points so it looked like he was back to form (looks would be deceiving). Jerami Grant poured in 28 points in his Pistons home debut.

Now, everything did not return to normal. There were no fans allowed. As a joke, the Pistons PR staff listed the official attendance as 1 (the mascot Hooper).

Watching on TV (the only way fans could see the game), it was kind of funny watching the game staff pretend there were actual people there.

The DJ kept playing loud music to an empty arena, even after games, when even the players and coaches had left (which made it hard to hear post-game interviews, so not sure what the point was).

During game time-outs, the Pistons dancer were divided up and each danced in front of an entrance. If the TV cameras were not on them, basically they were dancing to no one. (In no way a shot at the dancers, in bad circumstances, they were excellent)

Eventually, slowly, fans were allowed back in.

But what occurred on the day after Christmas was truly a gift. After almost 10 months, the Detroit Pistons were back at home, playing in a real NBA basketball game.