Pistons keep winning, off to second best start in team history
>> YEAH. I MEAN, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A HUGE PRICE TO PAY. >> ALL RIGHT, LET’S SHIFT GEARS. YEAH, RIGHT. LET’S SHIFT GEARS. LET’S SHIFT GEARS TO ANOTHER TEAM THAT PLAYS DOWN AT LCA. THE DETROIT PISTONS MAN. >> GOOD. >> TEAM IS A TEAM THAT IS ON A AS WE LIKE TO SAY ON A WAGON. 142 THE OTHER NIGHT, DO YOU SEE ANY SIGNS OF THEM SLOWING DOWN? I KNOW OBVIOUSLY THEY’VE GOT TO GO OUT WEST AND THEY’VE GOT TO BE TESTED BY THE BEST TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE RIGHT NOW, AND MOST OF THE TOP TEN TEAMS IN THIS LEAGUE, THE WING, THE PISTONS, AREN’T EVEN IN THE TOP FIVE BY ALL ACCOUNTS AND METRICS. BUT OUT WEST IS GOING TO BE TOUGH. BUT WHERE THEY SIT IN THE EAST, DO YOU SEE THEM AS BEING LEGIT? >> YES. WELL, IN THE EAST FOR SURE. THE LEGIT EAST. YEAH THEY ARE, BUT I MEAN THEY WILL FACE SOME TOUGHER TEAMS WHEN THEY FACE WESTERN CONFERENCE. BUT THEY’RE 20 AND FIVE. RECORD IS SECOND BEST BEST START IN THEIR HISTORY. AND YOU HIT UPON THE KEY. CAN THEY. WELL I THINK THEY CAN KEEP IT UP BECAUSE THEY USE SO MANY PLAYERS. THEY’RE SO DEEP AND THEY’RE NOT DOING THAT. CADE CUNNINGHAM HAS BEEN GREAT. BUT THIS ISN’T JUST CADE CUNNINGHAM PUTTING EVERYBODY ON HIS BACK AND CARRYING IT. AND IT’S NOT LIKE INCREDIBLE THREE POINT SHOOTING IS DOING. THEY’RE DOING IT WITH TEAM PLAY WITH A DEEP BENCH AND WITH DEFENSE. AND WITH BEEF STEW BECOMING A PREMIER DEFENSIVE PLAYER IN IN THE NBA. THEY’RE DOING IT IN THE WAYS THAT THAT IT IS SUSTAINABLE. >> YEAH YOU MENTIONED THE DEFENSE. THEY’RE GETTING BIG LEAPS FROM TWO OF THEIR YOUNG ATHLETIC WINGS AND RON HOLLAND AND ASHER THOMPSON. AND WE’VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT ASAR ALREADY THIS SEASON. I THINK RON HOLLAND IS BEGINNING TO FIND HIMSELF IN THE NBA 12 POINTS ON FRIDAY, BUT MORE NOTABLY WAS PLUS 20 WHEN HE WAS ON THE FLOOR. HIS IMPACT WAS HUGE AND I BELIEVE IT’S THE CELTICS NEXT RIGHT. SO A BIT OF A GRUDGE MATCH AGAINST THE TEAM THAT ENDED THEIR WINNING STREAK LAST MONTH. >> AND I THINK THE THING ABOUT THAT WIN ON FRIDAY NIGHT THAT WAS SO IMPRESSIVE WAS THE WAY THAT EVERYBODY HAD A HAND ON IT, RIGHT? THEIR FINGERPRINTS WERE ALL OVER IT. BUT JB BICKERSTAFF, WHAT HE HAS DONE TO I THINK THE CULTURE, THE MENTALITY, THE FIGHT OF THIS TEAM, THERE ARE SO MANY GAMES WE SIT AND WATCH THIS SEASON THAT I THINK LAST YEAR WE WERE ALL THINKING THAT’S A GAME THEY’RE NOT GOING TO WIN. AND THEY JUST CONTINUE TO REEL THEM OFF AND AS THEY GO DEEPER AND DEEPER, SKY REALLY IS THE LIMIT. >> HE’S DONE SOMETHING BICKERSTAFF HAS THAT’S REALLY REMARKABLE. HE’S TAKEN A YOUNG TEAM AND INSTILLED A DEFENSIVE MINDSET IN THEM CALLED A CULTURE. WHATEVER YOU WANT TO YEAH THAT’S VERY DIFFICULT TO DO I MEAN WE’VE WATCHED ALL THOSE PISTONS TEAMS STRUGGLE OVER THE YEARS AND THEY DIDN’T PLAY A LICK OF DEFENSE. AND BUT THEY’RE MORE THAN THAT. BUT THEY ARE VERY SKILLED OFFENSIVELY AS WELL. AND THEY LOOK LIKE A VERY WELL-ROUNDED TEAM THAT JUST MAYBE NEEDS A LITTLE BIT MORE SEASONING IN THE PLAYOFFS. >> SKILLED OFFENSIVELY BUT NOT OVERRELIANT ON THE THREE. >> NO. >> RIGHT. THAT’S ANOTHER. THING THAT DIFFERENTIATES THEM FROM MOST NBA TEAMS. NOW THEY DOMINATE THE PAINT. THEY SCORE AROUND THE RIM AS BETTER, IF NOT BETTER THAN EVERY TEAM IN THE NBA. THAT’S A THROWBACK. AND IT HARKENS BACK TO THOSE THOSE GOING TO WORK TEAMS AND EVEN SOME OF THOSE TEAMS. THIS TEAM WILL OUT PHYSICAL YOU NIGHT IN NIGHT. >> OUT AND THEY SHARE THE BASKETBALL I THINK SOMETHING LIKE 25 ASSISTS ON 32 OR 35 FIELD GOALS ON
The Pistons have opened the season with a 20-5 record and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings.
