What a difference a day makes. During the lull in the home-and-home affair with the Cavaliers, the Pistons managed to shake up their roster with the acquisition of five-time All-Star Blake Griffin. To argue that the development livened the atmosphere for the franchise would be an understatement. They had won just two of 11 matches since the turn of the year, and there was little in their play or disposition to suggest that they had an answer — any answer — to their lack of competitiveness. So, if nothing else, the change gave them hope.
To be sure, the Pistons weren’t expecting immediate results. Even as they stood to bank on the support of a partisan crowd at the Little Caesars Arena, they knew better than to mark their outing yesterday as a sure win. For one thing, they were up against the Cavaliers, who blitzed them in their last match and who appeared to finally regain a modicum of competitiveness following lineup changes. For another, they could not yet bank on the services of new recruit Griffin, who was still undergoing the requisite physical exams. In other words, they were handicapped.
As things turned out, the renewed optimism was all the Pistons needed to end their swoon. As in the previous game, they played the Cavaliers close through the first three quarters. Unlike in the previous set-to, however, they burned rubber with equal parts energy and enthusiasm. For once, they enjoyed playing off each other, with the departure of erstwhile cogs Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley allowing head coach Stan Van Gundy to fully commit to an inside-out style that matched the personnel at his disposal. The result: a monster game from anchor Andre Drummond, a career effort from reserve-turned-starter Stanley Johnson, and productive next-man-up turns from the rest en route to an emphatic victory.
Certainly, All-Star Kevin Love’s early exit due to a freak injury was a factor in the outcome. In his absence the Cavaliers were forced to go small, enabling the Pistons — and especially Drummond — to own the paint and, in the process, free up the likes of Reggie Bullock and Anthony Tolliver beyond the arc. Nonetheless, there can be no discounting the triumph, which showed that Van Gundy’s template, dating back to a successful run with the Magic, can work. Whether it will, and with consistency, only time knows. For now, though, there is promise.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
