What Happened:
The Pistons were embarrassed against one of the few remaining teams in the NBA below them in the standings -- on their home floor no less. The Pistons' late collapse against the Spurs carried over (3 days later) into the first half against Philly tonight. Detroit scored 30 first half points on 28% shooting, fell behind by 26 points, and had Detroit fans everywhere hugging porcelain.
The Good:
What could possibly be good about losing to the 76ers and dropping 12 straight? "Oh, but they fought hard in the 2nd half and pulled to within 7 in the 4th quarter," doesn't really do it for me tonight, sorry. In fact, it makes the loss sting even more.
Austin Daye was a big part of the "comeback" scoring 10 points on 4-5 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds in just 18 minutes. And Ben Gordon made NBA history by scoring the 10 millionth point in NBA history, joining a mighty fine group of others who have hit the other millionth point marks (Stacy Augmon!).
The Bad:
Richard Hamilton. He was 6-22 shooting and had a team-high four turnovers. For comparative purposes, Ben Wallace needed 15 less shots to score 10 points and Daye needed 17 less shots to score 10.
Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey aggravated nagging injuries and did not play in the 2nd half. Keeping them out was most likely a precautionary measure due to the large 1st half deficit, but the Pistons can't afford any more injuries. Ben Gordon also went down late with what looked like a hamstring injury.
The Cadillac Anderson Unsung Hero:
Ben Wallace. Kuester was cussing the team out during a time out early in the 3rd quarter, and it was audible on NBA League Pass. While pointing to Ben Wallace, he yelled, "He's 35 [expletive] years old and he's the only one pressing, helping out..." and then it cut out to this screen. He didn't have gaudy numbers, but he continues to do the small things that earns mad respect.
The Takeaway:
All things considered, the Pistons did fight hard late and outscored the 76ers by 16 in the 2nd half. Unfortunately, I don't know how useful moral victories are at this point for the Pistons, especially against the likes of the 76ers (without Iverson). Probable answer: They aren't. Something needs to change, and fast, or a top 3 draft pick is imminent.