It was surprising to learn the Pistons still had a shot to make the 2014 NBA playoffs early Sunday, but any slim odds of that happening officially vanished by evening. The Pistons were eliminated from the postseason as a result of the Atlanta Hawks 107-88 drubbing of the struggling Indiana Pacers, pushing the Pistons six wins back of the Hawks with only five games to play.
Of course, this was just a formality. The Pistons entered Sunday needing the Hawks to lose out and the Pistons needing to win out -- and they would still need to get serious help from the Knicks and Cavaliers. In other words, it wasn't happening, like a perfect March Madness bracket wasn't happening.
There hasn't been any real playoff talk here for quite some time, because that would've been hoping against the realized shit in our hands. The tank watch has been much more realistic and thus, that is what we've been giving you. (Speaking of which, with five games left, the Pistons are in the No. 8 spot, 2.5 games up on the No. 9 Cavaliers and trailing the No. 7 Kings by a game.)
If you recall, owner Tom Gores said before the season that he expected success; he expected the team to make the playoffs. Well, what're you going to do about that now, Tom Gores?
We'll learn soon enough.