The Detroit Pistons made history this Tuesday in the NBA for the saddest reasons possible already, that after losing to the Brooklyn Nets by 112-118, they sank into the worst streak ever in the league with 27 consecutive defeats.
Neither Santa Claus nor a Christmas miracle could save these Pistons in ruins, absolutely demoralized and who from now on will have a place in the most regrettable pages of the NBA history books after surpassing the Philadelphia 76ers of 2013-2014 in their tragedy and the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers. Until today, these two teams had the painful record of 26 consecutive games lost.
There’s still another frontier in their descent into hell that the Pistons could cross: that of the 28 consecutive losses accumulated by the Philadelphia 76ers from 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, counting the end of one season and the beginning of the next.
Monty Wiliams’ men, who this Tuesday once again heard the criticism of their fans at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and the cries of ‘sell the team’, will have a practically impossible mission to avoid their 28th defeat, since their next game will be this Thursday in Boston and against the Celtics, who are leaders of the East (balance of 23-6) and the great contender for the championship ring in this campaign. Later they will host the Toronto Raptors at home, the team against which they could also leave behind the Sixers’ record established between two seasons.
Be that as it may, there is no possible consolation for this team that does not do justice to an emblematic NBA franchise with three championship rings: the two of the fierce and fearsome ‘Bad Boys’ of Isiah Thomas (1989 and 1990) and the one of 2004 with Chauncey Billups at the helm, burning a magnificent Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton and Karl Malone from defense.
Bottom of the East with the worst balance in the entire league (a chilling 2-28), Detroit is now a buried team, without hope and that has not won a game since last October 28, when it beat the Chicago Bulls 118-102. Excluding that victory and one more on October 27, against the Charlotte Hornets (99-111), the team from the city of Motown has lost in 27 of its 29 games this season and did not achieve a single victory throughout the entire month of November or so far in December.
In addition, the conversation around the Pistons already revolves around the teams with the worst balance and winning percentage at the end of a regular season in NBA history. The 2-28 mark leaves Detroit with a winning percentage of .066 while the worst teams in league history at the end of the regular season were the 2011-2012 Charlotte Bobcats (7-59 and .106 in a shortened season due to a lockout) and the 1972-1973 Philadelphia 76ers (9-73 and .110).
It cannot be said, at least, that the Pistons did not give everything tonight to avoid catastrophe. Against the Nets, who had already beaten them last Saturday, Detroit, which had the return of Jalen Duren after eight games out, started with a very promising start (22-8 partial) and closed the first quarter ahead. An example of the enormous magnitude of the Pistons’ crisis is that they have not managed to win a first quarter since last December 11.
That illusion did not last long since the Nets came back in the second period with a run of 23-36 and went into halftime ahead (54-61).
Upon resumption, the Pistons had a minimal advantage in the third quarter, despite the Nets’ dominance for almost the entire period; and a margin of +5 before reaching the halfway point of the last period, but they finally knelt again and confirmed their pitiful record.
Cade Cunningham had a great game and did everything possible to prevent the Pistons from sinking with 41 points (fantastic 15 of 21 from the field), 9 rebounds and 5 assists. The young man scored 37 of his points in an overwhelming second half and 19 of them in the last quarter alone. Bojan Bogdanovic backed him up with 23 points.
Cameron Johnson (24 points) was the Nets’ top scorer with six players above 10 points but with an astonishing lack of performance among the entire team from the personal line (27 of 43, 62.8%).
2023-12-27 04:27:52
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