Upsets show Pistons need not be satisfied just getting in

The Detroit Pistons are hoping to make at least the play-in tournament next season. However, once you are in, as this year’s playoffs have shown, anything can happen.

The Pistons players and management are tired of ‘restoring,’ and looking to the future, while finishing at the bottom of the standings as they lose a bunch of games.

Next year, the plan is for Detroit to at least contend for a spot in the play-in tournament, meaning they would have to finish in the top 10 of the Eastern Conference.

Since GM Troy Weaver is not putting a cap on how far the team will go next season, why should Pistons fans?

One thing is for sure, another bottom-three performance will not be acceptable.

In the original ‘Process’, everyone pretty much rebelled when general manager Sam Hinkie plunged the 76ers into a third straight year of losing on purpose. Media, fans and, finally, the owner, had enough and he was replaced by Jerry Colangelo (not that ended well either) with the Sixers sitting at 0-18.

So Detroit needs to do some actual winning of games in 2022-23. If you just look to rebuild every year, you are called the Sacramento Kings,

It is also valuable to have young players get playoff experience. The Pistons championship teams of 1989 and ’90 did not just pop up put of nowhere. There were some painful playoff losses (mostly to the Larry Bird-led Celtics) before they finally broke through.

The year before the ‘Goin’ to Work’ crew beat Shaq and Kobe to to win the 2004 NBA championship, they were unceremoniously swept by the New Jersey Nets in the 2003 Eastern finals.

So getting as much playoff experience as possible before making a true title run is important. Just making the play-in (or, if things go really well, finishing in the top six and going straight to the playoffs) is nice, but much more can be gained by advancing.

Post-season upsets are path Detroit Pistons can follow

Of course, the true Cinderella team so far in the post-season are the New Orleans Pelicans.

FInishing ninth in the West, they beat the San Antonio Spurs in the 9/10 game and then knocked off a Los Angeles Clippers team that had won six more games then them during the regular season. Yes, the Clippers were without Paul George, but he had missed most of the season as well.

The win also made Portland’s trade with them look bad, as the Trail Blazers will now not get New Orleans No. 1 pick this season (which also hurt their chances of getting Jerami Grant in a trade)

The win vaulted the Pelicans, who have not had star Zion Williamson all season, into the playoffs against No. 1 seed Phoenix. After a tired Pelicans group lost Game 1 to the Suns, they came back to win, in Phoenix, 125-114. Yes, the Suns’ lost Devin Booker to injury, but if you are the No. 1 seed, you need to win a home game in the playoffs against a ninth-place team.

The Atlanta Hawks were a ninth-place team during the regular season that also made it into the playoffs, although they only had to beat a banged-up Charlotte and leaking-oil Cleveland Cavaliers team to get in. Still it was officially an upset, and the Hawks took advantage of the situation.

The Hawks, the year before, had been the No. 5 seed and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, and were tied 2-2 with eventual champion Milwaukee.

The basic lesson is, you never know what can happen once you enter the post-season. Finishing 10th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference is sure a lot better than the Pistons have done lately – by a mile.

However, they should take advantage of being in the post-season as much as possible. The more games, the more experience the young players gain, is better for Detroit’s future.