Last night was a great representation of what the Detroit Pistons are as a team even though they lost to the OKC Thunder.
The Pistons were without Cade Cunningham, who is still sitting with a calf contusion (and if you’re not concerned at this point, you’re calmer than me) as well as the trio of players who were suspended after the fracas against Minnesota.
Even with a nine-man rotation and missing several key players, the Pistons still put up a fight against the league-leading Thunder, as they continue to do what they have done all season, which is respond to adversity.
They didn’t have enough to beat the best team in the league on the road, but I am proud of our guys nonetheless.
The most important thing at this point is getting Cade Cunningham back as soon as possible so that he has a few games to shake off the rust before the playoffs start.
The Pistons aren’t guaranteed a spot just yet, but after Atlanta lost last night, the Pistons can claim at least the 6th seed tonight even though they are not playing.
Detroit Pistons’ magic number for the playoffs
The Hawks have officially been eliminated from a guaranteed playoff spot after losing last night, as they are back 6.5 games from the Bucks and seven from the Pistons with only six left to play.
That leaves the Orlando Magic as the team to watch now, as they have overtaken the Hawks and still have a statistical chance to claim a guaranteed playoff spot.
The Pistons magic number is down to one, so any combination of a Pistons’ win or Magic loss would put Detroit in the playoffs.
The Magic take on the Wizards tonight on the road, so it would be nice if Washington could play spoiler, beat the Magic and seal this thing for the Pistons, who have lost two straight and still have a tough remaining schedule in front of them.
The Pistons are not likely to catch the Pacers, who have an easy remaining schedule, and will be lucky to hold their spot against the Bucks, especially considering the Pistons play them twice to end the season and haven’t beaten Milwaukee since 2022.
Even though things are shaping up for the Pistons to clinch their first playoff berth since the 2018-19 season, they still have plenty of work to do if they want to hold onto the 5th seed, which would set up a bloodbath of a first-round matchup against Indiana.