Detroit — The NBA playoffs begin in less than a month — just 28 days away. The Detroit Pistons will make their second straight postseason appearance, a feat they haven’t accomplished since 2008-2009.
After closing the back half of their back-to-back set on Friday night, against the Golden State Warriors, the Pistons will have 12 games left. They are currently 50-19, with a 4.5-games lead over the Boston Celtics (46-23) for the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference. This season marked the first time in nearly two decades that the Pistons have eclipsed the 50-win mark.
“It’s progress, and that is what we are here for — to ultimately get better,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We have done that, but we have more to go. The most important thing is that we are focusing on what we have left and how we continue to prepare ourselves.”
For a team that has been dominant in the Eastern Conference for much of the season, the Pistons find themselves entering the final weeks facing some injury-fueled doubt about their ability to not only maintain the top seed in the conference but also advance beyond the second round.
The Pistons will have to play some, or maybe even all, of their final dozen games without Cade Cunningham (pneumothorax) and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain) as they recover from their injuries.
Detroit currently has the ninth most difficult remaining schedule in the NBA. Next week the Pistons play two of the hottest teams in the league — the Los Angeles Lakers (Monday) and the Atlanta Hawks (Wednesday), who have won eight and 11 consecutive games, respectively.
Replacing the services of Cunningham and Stewart is an important task for Bickerstaff. However, as the team “moves forward” without two of its core players, addressing its post-All-Star slippage remains his top priority.
“I think this group has done a great job of staying in the moment and improving on a day-to-day basis,” Bickerstaff said.
The Pistons have gone 10-6 in their last 16 games, ranking ninth in the league since returning from the All-Star break in mid-February. They have managed to stay above .500, but most of their wins have come against weaker teams that were either shorthanded or tanking. It has become a slight sign of how the Pistons’ on-court production has declined over the past month.
The most alarming sign has come on the defensive end. The Pistons have barely held on to a top-10 defense over the last 16 games. They have given up an average of 110.9 points and posted a net rating of 111.2, ranking 10th and ninth, respectively. Prior to the midseason break, the Pistons ranked second in defense, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder.
A great deal of the Pistons’ recent mishaps occurred during their four-game losing streak, the team’s longest of the season.
“When you look at the season, it’s normal, everyone goes through difficult times or a little bit of a rut,” Bickerstaff said. “We have plenty of time left to do what we have to do. … Our biggest concern is making sure that we do what we need to do to be as good as we can. We have time to figure it out, and we will.”
With the Pistons on track to secure the top seed, four different teams could face them in the first round as a result of the Play-In Tournament. The Orlando Magic (38-31) are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference, followed by the Miami Heat (38-32), Philadelphia 76ers (38-32) and Charlotte Hornets (36-34), who sit eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.
The Pistons have a winning record against each of the six teams they could face in the first round of the playoffs. And they would have homecourt advantage, which could be important if they have to start the postseason without Cunningham or Stewart.
The Pistons have overcome numerous challenges over the past two seasons. Their ability to overcome injuries while maintaining their status as the top team in the Eastern Conference could be another step in their journey toward competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Bickerstaff’s main concerns as the regular season draws to a close are improving the Pistons’ recent defensive struggles and restoring the team to its previous level of performance. He is focused on tackling the challenges that will enhance the Pistons’ overall play and help them succeed in any playoff round, rather than worrying about holding on to a seeding.
“What this group has done a very good job of is being able to be consistent in the details of every single day,” Bickerstaff said. “When you’re that way, I don’t feel like you have those big, huge ups and downs, and you find the consistency that you’re looking for.”
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: As injuries stack, Pistons remain focused on improving, not playoff seeding
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
