It’s rough, and it’s not right

The Pistons are the better team, right? Their experience will help them right their ship, right? We still have at least two more games to find out, but here's what we already know:

• Including the regular season, the Pistons have lost four of five to the 76ers.
• Including last year, the Pistons have lost six of their last seven playoff games.
• Dating back to 2005, their proverbial switch has flipped only once in four tries.

In case that last point isn't clear, let's recap. Several years ago, the Pistons developed a reputation for playing their best with their backs against the wall. In 2004, they beat the Nets in the second round and the Pacers in the conference finals despite once trailing in each series. In 2005, they did the same to the Pacers in the second round and the Heat in the Finals.

But that's where their good luck ended.

They never led the series in the 2005 NBA Finals before losing to the Spurs in seven. They came from behind to beat the Cavs in 2006 but fell to the Heat in the conference finals. They blew a 2-0 lead against the Cavs in 2007 before losing the next four.

All of their playoff experience is supposed to keep the Pistons from being in this spot, because as we've seen the last few years, it doesn't exactly help them claw back. I'm not ruling the Pistons out, but I'm also no longer confident they can win two straight. And did we really go through the first 82 games just to ensure Game 7 of the first round was at home?