Just a few weeks ago, the Detroit Pistons were atop everyone’s power rankings and a chic pick to make the NBA Finals, but a recent blip has brought back a wave of underestimation that borders on disrespect.
The only thing pundits and media “experts” love to do more than build up an underdog is to tear them down the second things aren’t going perfectly, which is what has happened recently with the Pistons.
It’s a copycat league, where narratives are often parroted mindlessly and with great speed, so it was an easy transition for the Pistons to go from juggernaut to “not experienced enough” in the span of a week.
It’s led to some bulletin board material that will be exactly the fuel the Pistons need.
The talking heads are turning on the Pistons
After a four-game losing streak, just about everyone took their victory lap about how they just knew this would happen and how the Pistons weren’t ready.
Marc Stein declared they were no longer the best team in the Eastern Conference, and everyone from Bill Simmons to the lads at Bleacher Report chimed in to agree.
Maybe they are right, but I find NBA media to be like meercats who all look the same direction when they hear a noise. It’s a murmuration of opinion that could change if the Pistons rattle off a few wins, but for now, if I were JB Bickerstaff, I’d be pushing the notion that no one believes in his team, which can be powerful fuel.
The Pistons have an elite defense, but no elite defenders apparently
Chaos erupted on social media yesterday as Zach Lowe revealed that he didn’t have Ausar Thompson on his All-Defensive team. What? I thought we were friends, Zach.
Lowe didn’t have any Pistons on his team, which is insane considering they have the 2nd-ranked defense, and their rise to the top of the East has been entirely fueled by it.
Not only does Thompson clearly deserve a spot, probably on the first team, but Isaiah Stewart deserves consideration as well.
It’s like the entire season we just watched didn’t happen, as Detroit has had an elite defense all season. Lowe had two members of the Thunder on his team, which is fine, but the Pistons are right behind them in defensive efficiency (and well ahead of anyone else) and got zero. Please make it make sense.
Ausar’s twin brother made Lowe’s first-team All-Defense while playing for a team that is barely in the top 10 and nearly five points worse than the Pistons. I think Lowe will eventually remedy this, as he said it was just a “rough draft”, but it shows you how quickly the media can turn on a team, as Lowe has been raving about Thompson and Stewart all season.
The Pistons hit a bit of a funk and could use some external motivation to get back to playing with the edge that has carried them all season. They can pretend otherwise, but they are hearing this noise, which will translate to disrespect in their minds, a powerful motivator for a team that feeds off being underestimated.