Stan Van Gundy, by his own admission, struggles to see the forest through all the trees sometimes. That makes him a coach. They all do. Actually, the fact he readily admits it gives him more perspective than most on that score.
He was moderately agitated after Wednesday’s 107-100 loss at Atlanta, concerned over a slippage in defense over the past three weeks as the Pistons were showing dramatic improvement on offense, averaging 109 points and going 9-4 over their past 13 games.
A day earlier, before they came back from 18 down to win at Miami, he took a step back and looked at the bigger picture.
“The thing I’ve got to remind myself all the time when I’m upset is that in our top six guys, in terms of playing time, we’ve got two 22-year olds, a 19-year old and a point guard who’s a starting point guard for the first time in his career. At times I have to bring myself back to earth a little bit. It’s not going to be this consistent rise. We’re going to have lots of ups and downs and we’re going to have some nights where we play like we’re those ages.”
Let’s take one more step back, though, and look at where the Pistons are – and keeping in mind where they were. One year ago today, they found themselves with a 5-23 record on Christmas eve.
They’re 17-13 today. And that only tells part of the story. Here’s a quick-hitter list of why the early success can be trusted – and why it figures to lead to even more success over the final 52 games.
Van Gundy already hit on the youth of this team. That portends better days ahead for the individuals concerned, but perhaps more in terms of seasons – not weeks – down the road. A more immediate bang should be expected from the familiarity of playing together for these past three months when so many of them were strangers when training camp opened. Of the nine players currently in Van Gundy’s rotation, five of them – Marcus Morris, Ersan Ilyasova, Aron Baynes, Steve Blake and Stanley Johnson – are first-year Pistons. In many respects, the toughest part of the schedule is behind them. The Pistons have played eight of their 20 back-to-back sets already. But even more significant is the fact that of the eight times all season where they’ll play a back to back against a team that had been off the previous night, six of them have already been played. The Pistons are 1-5 in those games, including Wednesday’s loss at Atlanta. So in games where the Pistons aren’t at that disadvantage, they’re 16-7. And they’ll have 50 more games where they aren’t fighting uphill. The Pistons have played their best basketball against the best teams in the Eastern Conference so far. Nine of their 30 game so far, nearly a third of their schedule, has involved games against the other seven teams currently a part of the East’s top eight – the playoff field. The Pistons are 7-2 in those games with one of the losses being their most recent, at Atlanta, when they not only had the back-to-back against a rested team handicap but had it compounded by a weather-forced travel snafu that delayed their arrival to Atlanta until eight hours before tipoff. The Pistons are 3-1 on the road against those teams – again, the only blemish the Atlanta loss in trying circumstances – with wins at Atlanta, Chicago and Miami. The Pistons have played 16 of their 30 games on the road and that matters because they’ve re-established The Palace as a meaningful home-court advantage, going 10-4 at home. If they get to mid-March and they’re still sitting in the playoff field, watch out – the Pistons get 11 of their final 16 games at home. Over these first 30 games, they’ve stayed in it even as several teams ahead of them in the standings have had lopsided home-road schedules. Miami’s played 18 of 27 at home, Atlanta’s played 17 of 31 and Chicago’s played 16 of 26. Cleveland (14 of 26), Orlando (15 of 29) and Indiana (14 of 28) have also played at least as many home as road games. Only Toronto (14 of 30, same as the Pistons, one game ahead of them in the No. 3 spot) of the teams ahead of the Pistons in the standings has played more road than home games. Go further and the three teams immediately behind the Pistons in the standings – Boston, Charlotte and Washington – have also played more home than road games. Football season is almost over in Michigan and that always means fans turn their attention to the Pistons and Red Wings. When that happens – and even more fans realize what Van Gundy and his team have going is real – that Palace home-court advantage figures to become even more substantial. So, yeah, you don’t have to stretch very far to find reasons to believe things are on the rise. Maybe not that consistent rise that Van Gundy, the coach, so wishes would come. But one that Van Gundy, the president of basketball operations, has engineered with remarkable haste. Should be a pretty good ride over these next four months – or more.
In many respects, the toughest part of the schedule is behind them. The Pistons have played eight of their 20 back-to-back sets already. But even more significant is the fact that of the eight times all season where they’ll play a back to back against a team that had been off the previous night, six of them have already been played. The Pistons are 1-5 in those games, including Wednesday’s loss at Atlanta. So in games where the Pistons aren’t at that disadvantage, they’re 16-7. And they’ll have 50 more games where they aren’t fighting uphill. The Pistons have played their best basketball against the best teams in the Eastern Conference so far. Nine of their 30 game so far, nearly a third of their schedule, has involved games against the other seven teams currently a part of the East’s top eight – the playoff field. The Pistons are 7-2 in those games with one of the losses being their most recent, at Atlanta, when they not only had the back-to-back against a rested team handicap but had it compounded by a weather-forced travel snafu that delayed their arrival to Atlanta until eight hours before tipoff. The Pistons are 3-1 on the road against those teams – again, the only blemish the Atlanta loss in trying circumstances – with wins at Atlanta, Chicago and Miami. The Pistons have played 16 of their 30 games on the road and that matters because they’ve re-established The Palace as a meaningful home-court advantage, going 10-4 at home. If they get to mid-March and they’re still sitting in the playoff field, watch out – the Pistons get 11 of their final 16 games at home. Over these first 30 games, they’ve stayed in it even as several teams ahead of them in the standings have had lopsided home-road schedules. Miami’s played 18 of 27 at home, Atlanta’s played 17 of 31 and Chicago’s played 16 of 26. Cleveland (14 of 26), Orlando (15 of 29) and Indiana (14 of 28) have also played at least as many home as road games. Only Toronto (14 of 30, same as the Pistons, one game ahead of them in the No. 3 spot) of the teams ahead of the Pistons in the standings has played more road than home games. Go further and the three teams immediately behind the Pistons in the standings – Boston, Charlotte and Washington – have also played more home than road games. Football season is almost over in Michigan and that always means fans turn their attention to the Pistons and Red Wings. When that happens – and even more fans realize what Van Gundy and his team have going is real – that Palace home-court advantage figures to become even more substantial. So, yeah, you don’t have to stretch very far to find reasons to believe things are on the rise. Maybe not that consistent rise that Van Gundy, the coach, so wishes would come. But one that Van Gundy, the president of basketball operations, has engineered with remarkable haste. Should be a pretty good ride over these next four months – or more.
The Pistons have played their best basketball against the best teams in the Eastern Conference so far. Nine of their 30 game so far, nearly a third of their schedule, has involved games against the other seven teams currently a part of the East’s top eight – the playoff field. The Pistons are 7-2 in those games with one of the losses being their most recent, at Atlanta, when they not only had the back-to-back against a rested team handicap but had it compounded by a weather-forced travel snafu that delayed their arrival to Atlanta until eight hours before tipoff. The Pistons are 3-1 on the road against those teams – again, the only blemish the Atlanta loss in trying circumstances – with wins at Atlanta, Chicago and Miami. The Pistons have played 16 of their 30 games on the road and that matters because they’ve re-established The Palace as a meaningful home-court advantage, going 10-4 at home. If they get to mid-March and they’re still sitting in the playoff field, watch out – the Pistons get 11 of their final 16 games at home. Over these first 30 games, they’ve stayed in it even as several teams ahead of them in the standings have had lopsided home-road schedules. Miami’s played 18 of 27 at home, Atlanta’s played 17 of 31 and Chicago’s played 16 of 26. Cleveland (14 of 26), Orlando (15 of 29) and Indiana (14 of 28) have also played at least as many home as road games. Only Toronto (14 of 30, same as the Pistons, one game ahead of them in the No. 3 spot) of the teams ahead of the Pistons in the standings has played more road than home games. Go further and the three teams immediately behind the Pistons in the standings – Boston, Charlotte and Washington – have also played more home than road games. Football season is almost over in Michigan and that always means fans turn their attention to the Pistons and Red Wings. When that happens – and even more fans realize what Van Gundy and his team have going is real – that Palace home-court advantage figures to become even more substantial. So, yeah, you don’t have to stretch very far to find reasons to believe things are on the rise. Maybe not that consistent rise that Van Gundy, the coach, so wishes would come. But one that Van Gundy, the president of basketball operations, has engineered with remarkable haste. Should be a pretty good ride over these next four months – or more.
Nine of their 30 game so far, nearly a third of their schedule, has involved games against the other seven teams currently a part of the East’s top eight – the playoff field. The Pistons are 7-2 in those games with one of the losses being their most recent, at Atlanta, when they not only had the back-to-back against a rested team handicap but had it compounded by a weather-forced travel snafu that delayed their arrival to Atlanta until eight hours before tipoff.
The Pistons are 3-1 on the road against those teams – again, the only blemish the Atlanta loss in trying circumstances – with wins at Atlanta, Chicago and Miami.
The Pistons have played 16 of their 30 games on the road and that matters because they’ve re-established The Palace as a meaningful home-court advantage, going 10-4 at home. If they get to mid-March and they’re still sitting in the playoff field, watch out – the Pistons get 11 of their final 16 games at home. Over these first 30 games, they’ve stayed in it even as several teams ahead of them in the standings have had lopsided home-road schedules. Miami’s played 18 of 27 at home, Atlanta’s played 17 of 31 and Chicago’s played 16 of 26. Cleveland (14 of 26), Orlando (15 of 29) and Indiana (14 of 28) have also played at least as many home as road games. Only Toronto (14 of 30, same as the Pistons, one game ahead of them in the No. 3 spot) of the teams ahead of the Pistons in the standings has played more road than home games. Go further and the three teams immediately behind the Pistons in the standings – Boston, Charlotte and Washington – have also played more home than road games. Football season is almost over in Michigan and that always means fans turn their attention to the Pistons and Red Wings. When that happens – and even more fans realize what Van Gundy and his team have going is real – that Palace home-court advantage figures to become even more substantial. So, yeah, you don’t have to stretch very far to find reasons to believe things are on the rise. Maybe not that consistent rise that Van Gundy, the coach, so wishes would come. But one that Van Gundy, the president of basketball operations, has engineered with remarkable haste. Should be a pretty good ride over these next four months – or more.
Over these first 30 games, they’ve stayed in it even as several teams ahead of them in the standings have had lopsided home-road schedules. Miami’s played 18 of 27 at home, Atlanta’s played 17 of 31 and Chicago’s played 16 of 26. Cleveland (14 of 26), Orlando (15 of 29) and Indiana (14 of 28) have also played at least as many home as road games.
Only Toronto (14 of 30, same as the Pistons, one game ahead of them in the No. 3 spot) of the teams ahead of the Pistons in the standings has played more road than home games. Go further and the three teams immediately behind the Pistons in the standings – Boston, Charlotte and Washington – have also played more home than road games.
Football season is almost over in Michigan and that always means fans turn their attention to the Pistons and Red Wings. When that happens – and even more fans realize what Van Gundy and his team have going is real – that Palace home-court advantage figures to become even more substantial.
So, yeah, you don’t have to stretch very far to find reasons to believe things are on the rise. Maybe not that consistent rise that Van Gundy, the coach, so wishes would come. But one that Van Gundy, the president of basketball operations, has engineered with remarkable haste. Should be a pretty good ride over these next four months – or more.
