Another Christmas, another time NBA gives Detroit Pistons a lump of coal
It will now be16 years since the last time the Detroit Pistons have had a game on Christmas Day. With their exciting young players, is it not time for that streak to be ended?
It was Christmas Day, 2005. George W. Bush had just started his second team as president. The No. 1 record was ‘Run it! by Chris Brown. The Detroit Lions were led(?) by quarterback Joey Harrington and 5-10 after a last-second field goal on Christmas Eve gave them a win over the Saints.
And a national audience on December 25, 2005 got to see the defending NBA champions beat the San Antonio Spurs, 85-70, at The Palace in Auburn Hills. And that was the last time the Pistons had a game on Christmas Day.
Related Story. Pistons match their longest streak without Christmas game. light
Taking away the religious aspect, Christmas is the day the NBA showcases all the teams the league office wants the public to be familiar with and promote. Playing on Christmas is an honor, it means they think your team is important. But Detroit is a team the league office has never looked kindly on.
It did not use to be this way. The Pistons have the third-most Christmas Day games of any NBA team. Beginning in 1957 (with a game against the then-Minneapolis Lakers), the Pistons played on Christmas every year until 1972.
However, since 1990, Detroit has only played on December 25 four times.
So what is is the deal? Detroit is one of the oldest members of the NBA, it has had recently big name players (like Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose and now Cade Cunningham).
Three reasons why the Detroit Pistons ever on Christmas Day that make no sense
3. Their record
Yes, the Pistons have not exactly been a powerhouse since their last appearance in the NBA Eastern finals in 2008, but records are not the sole factor to being on TV at Christmas.
Detroit was in the NBA finals in 2006 and the conference finals the following two seasons, but still did not get a Christmas game.
The Dallas Mavericks, who have lost in the first round of the playoffs the past two seasons (and are projected to do the same this year) are playing on Christmas. So are the Boston Celtics, who were also a first round loser last year, and currently have a losing record.
Yes the Celtics have tradition but so do the Pistons. The NBA started with an agreement on Pistons owner Fred Zollner’s kitchen table for goodness sakes.
What those teams have is star players the NBA wants to market in Dallas’ Luka Doncic and the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.