Pistons did something no one thought was possible in the modern NBA

The Detroit Pistons remembered who they are last night and put on a dominant defensive performance in the 2nd half, the likes of which you rarely see in the modern NBA. 

The Pistons held the Magic to just 46 points in the first half and then cranked up the defense even more, limiting Orlando to 37 second half points in one of the most dominant defensive performances we’ve seen all season. 

The Magic shot just 33 percent overall and 25 percent from the 3-point line, and if it weren’t for their whopping 32 free-throw attempts, would have likely been blown out of the water long before they were. 

Instead, Orlando held on until the 3rd quarter, when the Pistons bust the game open with a 30-3 run that was unlike anything I’ve seen since 2004. 

The Detroit Pistons bringing defense back 

If you would have told me any team was going to hold another playoff team to 83 points this season, I probably would have bet against it. 

While Ben Wallace and crew were able to do this (and even better) several times in their championship run, it’s not something you see often in the modern game when offenses are more complex and difficult to stop. 

The Magic are not some offensive juggernaut by any means, but they averaged over 115 points per game this season, which was a franchise record for Orlando, so the Pistons held them 32 points under their season average. 

When you consider that the top scoring team in the entire NBA in 2004 averaged 104 points per game, it’s a clear illustration of how much the game has changed in the last 20+ years, as that would have been dead last in the league this year. 

That makes what the Pistons did last night even more impressive, as this isn’t the hand check/hard foul era, and they actually had a very tight whistle last night, which made their challenge even bigger. 

The Pistons finished the game with nine steals and 11 blocks, so they were not only flying around the court, but helping from the weakside, protecting the rim and in general making life hell for Orlando. 

The Magic could barely even get a shot off in the 3rd quarter, and they ones they did get were exactly the shots the Pistons want them to take, which are contested jumpers. 

On a night when both teams shot the ball poorly (Detroit was even worse from 3-point range than they were) the Pistons asserted themselves on the defensive end and generated their points the way they have all season. 

Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart were elite as they have been all season, but it was a team effort with everyone from Cade Cunningham, Tobias Harris and Javonte Green pitching in. 

It was nice to see, and if the Pistons keep that up, they can make everyone forget about that first game loss. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow