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After a convincing win against the Washington Wizards, a hard-fought overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies (that the Pistons really should've won) and a 10-point victory over the Boston Celtics, Detroit finds itself 2-1 3.7 percent into the season and already moving up the pundits' power polls.
13. Detroit Pistons (2-1, Last week: 16)
The frontcourt trio of Josh Smith, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond has been pretty darn good through three games. The only real negative is Smith's insistence on chucking threes, as he has already taken 22 on the season.
No. 14 (last week: 18)
The best start no one's talking about? Probably Detroit's. The Pistons have already beaten one of their perceived prime rivals for an East playoff spot (Washington) and dragged Memphis to overtime before the real (and pleasant) surprise: Brandon Jennings, like Westbrook, is back from injury early.
10. Detroit Pistons (2-1; last week's ranking: 17): Brandon Jennings had 14 points, four assists and four steals while wearing a protective mask in his Pistons debut against Boston. Indiana and Oklahoma City are up next.
Only one ranking had the Pistons move down. That was at NBA.com, and they're wrong:
No. 18 (last week: 13)
Pace: 95.7 (26), OffRtg: 103.1 (10), DefRtg: 98.1 (10), NetRtg: +4.9 (7)
Russell Westbrook wasn't the only point guard to make a surprise return on Sunday. Brandon Jennings played 31 minutes in Detroit's win over the Celtics, dropping a seated dime to Andre Drummond. The Pistons have actually been pretty good offensively in 77 minutes with Drummond, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith on the floor together, but face the league's No. 1 defense on Tuesday.
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