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At present, the Detroit Pistons only have 27 wins with just 11 games to go in the 2014-15 season. However, even with only 27 wins, the Pistons find themselves only four games out of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. I, like some, think there's still a chance.
But how likely is that chance?
Here are the remaining schedules for the teams who are fighting for the seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference.
| Miami | Boston | Indiana | Brooklyn | Charlotte | Detroit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | @ Atlanta | @ New York | vs. Dallas | vs. Cleveland | @ Washington | @ Orlando |
| Game 2 | vs. Detroit | vs. LA Clippers | @ Brooklynn | vs. LA Lakers | vs. Atlanta | @ Miami |
| Game 3 | vs. San Antonio | @ Charlotte | @ Boston | vs. Indiana | vs. Boston | vs. Atlanta |
| Game 4 | @ Cleveland | vs. Indiana | vs. Charlotte | @ New York | vs. Detroit | @ Charlotte |
| Game 5 | @ Detroit | vs. Milwaukee | vs. Miami | vs. Toronto | @ Indiana | @ Chicago |
| Game 6 | @ Indiana | @ Toronto | @ New York | @ Atlanta | vs. Philadelphia | vs. Miami |
| Game 7 | vs. Charlotte | @ Detroit | @ Detroit | vs. Portland | @ Miami | vs. Boston |
| Game 8 | vs. Chicago | @ Cleveland | vs. Oklahoma City | vs. Atlanta | vs. Toronto | vs. Indiana |
| Game 9 | vs. Toronto | vs. Cleveland | vs. Washington | vs. Washington | @ Atlanta | vs. Charlotte |
| Game 10 | vs. Orlando | vs. Toronto | @ Memphis | @ Milwaukee | @ Detroit | @ Cleveland |
| Game 11 | @ Philadelphia | @ Milwaukee | vs. Chicago | vs. Houston | @ New York | |
| Game 12 | vs. Orlando | @ Toronto | ||||
| Home/Road | 6/5 | 5/6 | 5/5 | 9/3 | 6/6 | 5/6 |
| Back-2-Back | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| > .500 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| vs. The Six | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
Miami (33-38)
Miami may have it the easiest of the six. They only have one back-2-back on their schedule and they have a middle of the pack amount of games against the rest of the six. However, two of those four games are against the Pistons. In the only game between the two this season, Detroit won by 17 points. The other two games Miami has against the rest of the six are at Indiana and home against Charlotte.
Most Likely Wins
vs. Orlando, @ Philadelphia
Most Likely Losses
@ Atlanta, vs. San Antonio, @ Cleveland
Boston (31-40)
Boston has it a little tougher than Miami in that they have two more back-2-backs as well as one fewer game against the rest of the six. Those three games are at Charlotte, home against Indiana, and at Detroit.
Most Likely Wins
@ New York
Most Likely Losses
vs. LA Clippers, @ Toronto, @ Cleveland, vs. Cleveland, vs. Toronto
Indiana (31-41)
Indiana has it a bit easier than Boston. One fewer back-2-back, one fewer games against teams with a .500+ record, and two more games against the rest of the six. They have one game against each of the rest of the six.
Most Likely Wins
@ New York
Most Likely Losses
vs. Dallas, vs. Oklahoma City, @ Memphis
Brooklyn (30-40)
At first glance it may look like Brooklyn has it easiest. Nine of their 12 remaining games are at home. They have the most number of games remaining. But upon further investigation, they have the most games against .500+ teams as well as only one game left against the rest of the six. This means they will need to count on other teams beating their competition.
Most Likely Wins
vs. LA Lakers, @ New York, vs. Orlando
Most Likely Losses
vs. Cleveland, vs. Toronto, @ Atlanta, vs. Portland, vs. Atlanta, vs. Washington, vs. Chicago
Charlotte (30-40)
Charlotte both has a hard schedule with the most back-2-backs of the group and second most games against .500+ teams, but also the most possible games left and a high number left against the rest of the six. This means that they will have their chance to make up grounds quickly.
Most Likely Wins
vs. Philadelphia
Most Likely Losses
@ Washington, vs. Atlanta, vs. Toronto, @ Atlanta, vs. Houston, @ Toronto
Detroit (27-44)
Detroit may actually have the best chance of having a winning record during the remaining games. Yes, they have three back-2-backs left, but they also have six games left against the rest of the six and the fewest games against .500+ opponents. One of those games, at Cleveland, could very well be at a time when the Cavs coast into the playoffs and rest some players as they likely will not finish the season as the top seed in the East nor have to fight off Chicago. The other two "tough" games are against Atlanta at home and away at Chicago. They are also the only team of the six who do not have a game against the Western Conference.
Most Likely Wins
@ Orlando, @ New York
Most Likely Losses
vs. Atlanta, @ Chicago, @ Cleveland
Overall
Obviously, other factors could come into play. Injuries, resting of players, etc. Also, nothing is given. Over the last five games the Pistons beat Memphis (the second seeded West team) by 10, Chicago (the third seeded East team) by 17, and Toronto (the fourth seeded East team) by four. However, they lost by 11 to Philadelphia and only beat Boston by eight (but at least we won). The Pistons are 3-8 against the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timerwolves and Los Angeles Lakers. So yeah, anything could happen.
It is an uphill battle, but that doesn't mean it can't be climbed.