The Detroit Pistons entered last night’s game against the Boston Celtics with something to prove.
They had mostly beaten up on the dregs during their current win streak and wanted to show this wasn’t a fluke, that they could take it to one of the best teams in the NBA, and they did.
The Pistons overwhelmed Boston with physical and relentless defense led by Ausar Thompson, who had five steals and got his hands on just about everything. He defended Jayson Tatum about as well as any human can, and led the defensive attack.
The bench was also outstanding, led as they have been all season by Malik Beasley, who is as hot as any shooter in the league, hitting over 50 percent of his 3-point shots on over 10 attempts per game during the current 8-game win streak.
By the way, the last time the Pistons had a win streak this long, most of you were still in grade school or not born yet. George W. Bush was still president, which seems like five lifetimes ago.
Beasley doesn’t only lead this team with his shooting, as he has an infectious personality that has permeated through the Pistons and brought some much-needed swagger to a team that had no confidence last season.
You can see that this team believes, that this isn’t some lucky fluke and if the playoffs started today, I guarantee you no one wants to play Detroit.
Beasley has shimmied his way into the heart of a city and may be on his way to the 6th Man of the Year award.
Malik Beasley: The Shimmy and 6th Man of the Year Odds
Fans of opposing teams probably hate Beasley’s signature move, which is to drop a little shimmy after he makes a 3-point shot.
As a Pistons fan, you love to see it, as sports are supposed to be fun and there doesn’t seem to be any malice or taunting behind it, it’s just Malik being Malik and enjoying himself.
As a coach, you worry about him getting back on defense instead, which is what JB Bickerstaff said after the game last night:
"I told him he’s ruining a generation of players because every time they hit a three, they want to hit a shimmy instead of getting back on defense, including my son."
It may not be sound fundamental basketball but when you are shooting the ball like Beasley this season (2nd in the NBA in 3-pointers made), you’re allowed to dance a little.
It hasn’t hurt his 6th Man of the Year odds, which have plummeted during the Pistons’ 8-game win streak.
He went head-to-head with his main competition last night, as Boston’s Payton Pritchard is the frontrunner to win the award and has been for most of the season.
Beasley soundly outdueled him last night, dropping 26 points, five rebounds, a block and a steal while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor and 6-of-11 from long range, at one one point ripping a rebound away from Pritchard and giving him a glare that said, "this award is mine."
Pritchard had 18 points of his own and is one of those guys whose shot always looks like it’s going in, but it was Beasley’s night in Detroit. This was the 22nd time this season that Beasley has scored 20+ points. If you are curious, Pritchard has done it 18 times.
According to FanDuel, Beasley’s odds for 6th Man of the Year are now +300, down from +600 just 12 days ago.
A few more games like this and voters may have to reconsider the narrative, as Beasley has been a big reason for the Pistons’ surge and is having a historic year shooting the ball, as he could become only the 2nd player in NBA history to average more than 42 percent on 11 attempts from 3-point range per-36 minutes.
Hit that shimmy.