The Detroit Pistons had the best record in the Eastern Conference last season but still got bounced in the second round of the playoffs, so in the end, no one will remember that they won 60 games.
With the revamped East looking stronger next season, most pundits don’t see the Pistons matching their 60-win season again. A recent poll of ESPN insiders predicted 53 wins for Detroit, though still had them as one of the contenders atop the conference.
There will be fewer bad teams, and possibly a couple of more good ones in the East (though you can never count that too soon), so it makes sense that the Pistons wouldn’t win as many games next season.
And that’s just fine, as this is a team that is now better built to win in the playoffs, which is the measure by which they will be judged from now on.
Taking a step back from the intense regular season they had last year could actually be a good thing and help them eventually move deeper into the playoffs.
The regular season matters but you have to pick your spots
No team played harder than the Pistons in the regular season last year, which is how they were able to win so many games even though they didn’t have a second scoring option.
But that intensity wasn’t always a good thing, as the Pistons had suspensions, injuries and eventually ran out of gas in the playoffs, getting blown out in game seven on their home floor.
The NBA season is a war of attrition, and you can’t use up all of your energy and ammo in the regular season, or there will nothing left in the tank. I am not suggesting the Pistons don’t try hard or lose games, as you definitely don’t want to build those habits, but the season is full of ebbs and flows, and you can’t have your foot on the accelerator the whole time.
Look at the Knicks last season. They were clearly only focused on winning a title, didn’t care that they were the third seed and had their ups and downs in the regular season. But they were hot at the right time, and cake walked through the East, looking like a completely different team.
Meanwhile, the Pistons’ superstar was diving on the floor in a meaningless game and suffered a collapsed lung in the home stretch of the season. Like I said, pick your spots.
Again, I am not suggesting the Pistons coast, but you can’t stay in 5th gear the whole season and then expect to find another level in the playoffs.
Home court advantage is nice, but didn’t make a hill of difference last season, and it would have been far better for the Pistons to head into the postseason healthy.
Detroit is better built for the playoffs next year, with more shooting and spacing for the offense, but they need to get there in one piece and be ready to find another gear.
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