Detroit Pistons Schedule Breakdown and Predictions for Final 6 Weeks of 2014-15
After a tumultuous 2014-15 season thus far, the Detroit Pistons need a strong final six weeks in order to make a run at the postseason.
They have been 10 games—or more—below .500 for much of the past three months. Yet they find themselves just three games out of the No. 7 seed, with the Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers all in the mix for one of the final two seeds in the Eastern Conference.
Heading into their game with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Pistons are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. That is their 6th losing streak of at least three games this season.
They can't afford any more if a playoff spot is in their future.
Week 1: March 1-7
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The first time the Pistons met the Pelicans this season, Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson torched the Detroit bigs for 44 points in a relatively easy win.
With Davis' shoulder injury and Anderson's sprained knee, the Pistons should fare much better the second time around.
The Pelicans have actually gone 5-1 since the injuries—including the game against the Miami Heat when they both went down. But they haven't played a team with strong big men since, and their depleted front line should not be able to stand up to Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe.
Two days later, the Pistons visit the Houston Rockets, a team they handled in Josh Smith's return to the Palace of Auburn Hills. But the Rockets are playing their best basketball of the season, having won five games in a row and holding a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter—even without James Harden—before ultimately losing to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Pistons have shown they are talented enough to beat the Rockets. But doing it on the road, with Harden and company playing at such a high level, will be a tall task.
Week 1 predictions:
March 4 at New Orleans Pelicans: Win
March 6 at Houston Rockets: Loss
Weekly record: 1-1
Week 2: March 8-14
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The second week of March begins against a team the Pistons will get familiar with before season's end.
They will play the Charlotte Hornets three times over the final five weeks. In their first matchup, the Pistons won by 28 points. The game is in Detroit this time, and a loss at home would be a major disappointment.
Two days later they start a road trip against the Los Angeles Lakers, who hold the NBA's No. 27 record. This is one Detroit should take easily. But the Pistons play the Golden State Warriors the very next night, and a road game against the best team in the NBA will be no fun.
After one day off, they head up the West Coast to play the Portland Trail Blazers, who were winners by 12 in Detroit during December. The Pistons are a much different team than they were then, but Portland is simply in a different class talent-wise.
This brutal stretch of five games in seven days caps off in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz. They have been a scrappy team recently, winning three straight games, including one on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies. With Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors down low, they have the personnel to slow down the Pistons frontcourt. But a Reggie Jackson-Dante Exum matchup should heavily favor the Pistons.
With games against two of the league's best teams, the Pistons need to win at least two against the non-playoff teams during this week to keep pace in the East.
Week 2 predictions:
March 8 vs. Charlotte Hornets: Win
March 10 at Los Angeles Lakers: Win
March 11 at Golden State Warriors: Loss
March 13 at Portland Trail Blazers: Loss
March 14 at Utah Jazz: Loss
Weekly record: 2-3
Week 3: March 15-21
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The Pistons and Grizzlies both are talented at point guard, power forward and center. Beyond that, most comparisons should be considered an insult to the Grizz.
They currently hold a top-three NBA record and look like a serious championship contender. They are now an excellent team on both ends of the court and the type of franchise which the Pistons should strive to become.
The night after facing one of the Western Conference elite, the Pistons head back on the road for a different type of game against the Philadelphia 76ers. With one of the NBA's worst records and a dwindling number of players with extended NBA experience on the roster in Philly, a loss would be embarrassing for the Pistons.
The final game of the week comes at home against the Chicago Bulls. They might be one of the toughest teams to gauge in the NBA right now after losing Derrick Rose to another knee surgery, Jimmy Butler to a hyperextended elbow and Taj Gibson to a sprained ankle. Yet somehow they had enough in the tank to beat the Washington Wizards, and Tom Thibodeau typically keeps them playing well through injuries.
But the Pistons will have a real shot for a second straight win against their division rival.
Week 3 predictions:
March 17 vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Loss
March 18 at Philadelphia 76ers: Win
March 21 vs. Chicago Bulls: Win
Weekly record: 2-1
Week 4: March 22-29
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Much like the rest of the East, the Boston Celtics have struggled with consistency. They are 7-5 in their last 12 games with wins over the Hawks, Hornets and Phoenix Suns, but they also have a loss to the lowly Lakers.
They typically play hard, and coach Brad Stevens has implemented a lot of interesting small-ball lineups, which may give the bigger Pistons some trouble. But the Pistons have the talent advantage in what should be an interesting matchup.
The Toronto Raptors currently are the No. 2 seed in the East, but they are doing their best to drop down the standings, losing five straight games before edging the 76ers. Though they have already beaten the Pistons twice this season, they are not exactly inspiring confidence at this point.
And after two days of rest, the Pistons head back on the road to face the Orlando Magic. They are 2-1 this season against the Magic, and Orlando has won just four of its past 19 games. This is one of those games the Pistons must take if a playoff spot is going to be theirs.
Week 4 predictions:
March 22 at Boston Celtics: Loss
March 24 vs. Toronto Raptors: Win
March 27 at Orlando Magic: Win
Weekly record: 2-1
Week 5: March 30-April 4
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Potentially an important matchup for the late-season race in the East, the Pistons and Miami Heat play a pair of games during a one-week span. Those begin and end the Pistons' second five-games-in-seven-nights stretch over the season's final six weeks.
The Heat looked like a postseason lock after trading for Goran Dragic, but then they lost Chris Bosh for the season because of blood clots in his lungs. Now their hold at the No. 7 seed feels precarious at best.
After a trip to Miami, Detroit comes home to play the Atlanta Hawks—the East's top team all season. A loss here for the Pistons would complete the four-game season sweep.
The next night they go back on the road to Charlotte for the second time. And two nights later it is another game with the Bulls, who—at this point—could just as easily be nearing full strength or searching for healthy bodies to suit up.
After Chicago, the Pistons close the week off with Miami at home. They won the first meeting by 17 in Detroit, even with Bosh playing, and it feels like they should at least be able to split the pair in Week 5.
Week 5 predictions:
March 29 at Miami Heat: Loss
March 31 vs. Atlanta Hawks: Loss
April 1 at Charlotte Hornets: Win
April 3 at Chicago Bulls: Loss
April 4 vs. Miami Heat: Win
Weekly record: 2-3
Week 6: April 5-15
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Though it is really closer to a week-and-a-half, the final stretch of the season potentially gives the Pistons some final shots at making up ground for a playoff berth.
Three of their five games come against the five teams currently in the running for one of the final two spots. If the first five weeks break correctly, any of those could serve as a de facto play-in game.
In the span of five nights, they play the Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Hornets. They are 2-1 against the Pacers so far, but Indiana has won eight of 10 games, and the potential return of Paul George from a broken leg makes it even more dangerous.
The night after their final game with the Hornets, the Pistons get a shot against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road. Though that would typically be a tough win, there is a real chance that the Cavs are resting players by that point in preparation for the postseason.
And if the season comes down to the final game, the Pistons have the best possible schedule as they face the 12-win New York Knicks. No team has been worse through roughly 60 games, and it should be a win if the Pistons have anything left to play for.
Week 6 predictions:
April 8 vs. Boston Celtics: Win
April 10 vs. Indiana Pacers: Loss
April 12 vs. Charlotte Hornets: Loss
April 13 at Cleveland Cavaliers: Win
April 15 at New York Knicks: Win
Weekly record: 3-2
Final 6 Weeks Recap
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Since reshuffling their team at the trade deadline, the Pistons won back-to-back games against the Bulls and Wizards yet lost to the Knicks in overtime. To say they have struggled with consistency is an understatement, and they have nearly run out of time to put it all together.
Every one of the six teams fighting for the final two seeds in the East is flawed and has gone through rough stretches during the season, and things are still hanging in the balance. The schedule pits the Pistons up with the other five teams enough that they will have chances to make up the necessary ground.
If two of the teams go on a tear, Detroit may not have enough firepower to make up for its 5-23 start to the season. But if it continues to be the battle of mediocrity it has been thus far, a record near .500 could put the Pistons in the mix for a postseason bid.
Prediction: 12-11
Record: 35-47
Standings: No. 10 in the East
All records and statistics accurate through March 3, 2015 and are from NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
Jakub Rudnik covers the Detroit Pistons as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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