The Detroit Pistons are not in the NBA post-season but they do have a small stake in the success of one of the teams in it. Basically, Detroit fans should be rooting for the Brooklyn Nets to lose, the earlier the better.
The Brooklyn Nets are a team easy to root against. You have Kevin Durant, who left Oklahoma City, after blowing a 3-1 lead to Golden State, for the Warriors to win titles. After winning said titles, he left for Brooklyn because, well, now he wanted to win titles on his own.
Them you have Kyrie Irving. He takes weeks off at a time for ‘personal reasons’, thought for a while the Earth might be flat, and missed most of Brooklyn’s home games this season because he refused to be vaccinated, even though he says he is not anti-vax.
Their starting center is Andre Drummond. Nets management reportedly demanded he be put in the James Harden trade with Philadelphia. Detroit fans know home Drummond performs in playoffs, so no comment except for that.
And then, supposedly joining them after the Play-in is Ben Simmons. The phrase ‘Whiny, crybaby’ comes to mind when his name is mentioned.
Oh, and if you still hate Blake Griffin, he is there too. Bruce Brown, who most Pistons fans like, is also there (and unlike Griffin, actually plays), but you can not hate everyone on a team.
So lots of reasons for fans to dislike the Nets. Pistons fans have an added incentive: a higher future draft pick.
Why Detroit Pistons benefit if Brooklyn Nets do not get out of play-in round
If Brooklyn does not get out of the play-in round, the team probably breaks up. Kevin Durant and Kyrie go elsewhere. Simmons is still there but he can’t shoot so he is ill-fitting on a bad team. If no one to pass to, or if no else a good defender, what is the point of having Simmons?
Steve Nash’s job as coach could also be in danger. Irving seems not thrilled with him.
Detroit, unless the pick gets traded (it was once already), gets Brooklyn’s second-round draft choice this season. Thanks to them basically futzing around, and injuries, it will be the 46th overall pick, much higher than most expected when the DeAndre Jordan trade was made.
Detroit also gets Brooklyn’s second rounder in 2027, so if they could collapse, and say take a while to rebuild, all the better.
More importantly, the Nets falling apart would remove one more contender in the Eastern Conference.
The East was very deep this season. The ninth place team was the Atlanta Hawks, who basically had the same team that reached the Eastern Conference finals last year.
Some teams going downhill would help a Detroit club hoping to rise in the standings.
Maybe there is not much to root for, or against, in the NBA playoffs for Detroit fans, it is much more fun to support your own team. But, the Nets going down quick would be fun.