The Detroit Pistons didn’t do much at the trade deadline, which created new worries and frustrations amongst fans, especially after the ugly loss to the Wizards.
But the Pistons did what they have done all season, which is respond, and did so in dramatic fashion, eviscerating the Knicks by more than 30 for the second time this season.
So what do we make of these events? The Pistons do have some fresh worries, but they are also feeling very confident against the teams they have to beat.
The Detroit Pistons own the Knicks in the regular season
Until they do it in the playoffs, no one will care, but the Pistons have dominated the Knicks this season and beaten them in five straight regular season games overall.
As Stephen A. Smith fretted about recently, the Pistons seem to WANT the Knicks, and you can see that in the way they play against them. Both teams were missing key players last night but Detroit just walked through them once again.
It feels as though we are getting the playoff Pistons every time they play New York and if that is the team we can expect in the second season, Detroit should be in good shape. They are very confident against the Knicks but there are other concerns lingering in the Eastern Conference.
The Boston Celtics can’t be overlooked
The Boston Celtics have won five in a row to quietly creep within 4.5 games of the Pistons in the standings, and to me, they are the biggest concern in the East.
I wrote about their trade deadline pickup of Nikola Vucevic, a guy who has torched the Pistons over the years, only to be told I was being dramatic. Surely Duren and Stewart present advantages Detroit can take advantage of that will offset Vucevic’s shooting prowess.
That may be true, but Boston improved, and that’s all that matters. They were playing a combination of Luka Garza and Neemias Queta before, so Vooch is an upgrade, one that allows them to completely spread the floor and do what they do best, which is shoot the 3-ball.
As things stand, Boston is a bigger threat to the Pistons than the Knicks are, as Detroit plays with a confidence and swagger against New York. Detroit is 3-1 against the Celtics too, but Boston has the type of playoff and championship experience that New York doesn’t.
Trajan Langdon clearly thought the Pistons had enough to win the East, so didn’t make the giant deadline move some fans were hoping for and expecting, and we’ll have to wait and see if he ends up regretting that, especially if they end up facing Boston in the playoffs at some point.