Detroit Pistons: Critical stretch right after the All-Star break

Karintha Styles

The Detroit Pistons have 24 games left to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Can they sprint into the playoffs?

The Eastern Conference playoff race remains tight with 24 games left to play in the regular season. If the playoffs started today, the Miami Heat would edge out the Detroit Pistons for the last spot by 1.5 games.

For the Pistons, 24 games might not seem like a lot to hang their hopes on. However, injuries to key players in the East and the return of players from injury could make the next few weeks an exciting time NBA fans.

Coming off a productive All-Star Weekend for Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin wanted to start the next half of the season with a win against the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, Kyrie Irving and Boston remained in the No. 2 spot in the East after both the Toronto Raptors and Celtics won Friday night.

The Pistons have already proven this season they can face adversity and regroup. Truthfully, sometimes it has taken the team longer to adjust than fans would like, but they have still fought back from the brink several times this season, including two losing streaks of at least seven games — one in December and one January which ended with the trade that sent Griffin to Detroit.

Detroit needs to get back to basics. The Pistons had success earlier this season playing team ball. Getting into the playoffs will require a return to that philosophy while incorporating Griffin.

They also need to… Read More