The Detroit Pistons –WTF Happened?

It was just over two decades ago the “Bad Boys” ruled the NBA. Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Ric Mahorn, Vinnie “ The Microwave” Johnson, John Salley, Dennis Rodman and a quiet unassuming Joe Dumars. They were led by coach Chuck Daly and won back to back NBA titles in 1989-90. The rest of the 90’s were spent tearing down an aging club and it wasn’t until Dumars was hired as the team's president of basketball operations, that fortunes started to return to past glory.

Dumars, through wise drafting, assembled a talented squad and found the right coach in Larry Brown to lead them to another championship in 2004 and they lost in the Finals to San Antonio in 2005.

Now this. After starting 11-12 in the subordinate Central Division, Detroit has lost 13 games in a row, which is one off the team record of a double baker’s dozen. Productive scorers Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon have all missed time during the skid, leaving Detroit’s offense sputtering.

The Pistons are like a four year car that has never had an oil change. In losing this many games in a row, not once have they broken 100 points. Detroit’s average loss has been a dastardly 14.4 points per game, low-lighted by losing at Chicago last night by 33. This streak is even leaving New Jersey players wondering what is going on in MoTown. Oddsmakers appear to be equally as stunned not being able to find the right number on these misfiring Pistons, having covered one time during this horrendous stretch.

“You’re not going to get confidence from fooling yourself or trying to psyche up your ego,” Gordon said. “You’ve got to go out there and play basketball. That’s how you get your confidence right - by going out there every night, playing as hard as you can and playing the right way.”

With three road wins in 18 contests (7-10-1 ATS), help could be on the way, as Detroit travels to plays the Washington Bullets, whoops, Wizards. Despite brandishing guns in the locker room, Washington has not been all that tough with 12-23 record (13-21 ATS). Gilbert (Magnum Force) Arenas had a silencer put on gun collection by the NBA, being suspended indefinitely by the league for bringing guns to the Verizon Center and related incidents.

This leaves the Bullets (screwed up again) without their leading scorer. Unlike Detroit, Washington has scored over 100 points in their last two games, splitting the pair, however is 4-15 ATS after registering triple digits two or straight games over the last two seasons.

Bookmaker.com has made Washington 5.5-point favorites, with total of 197. This might be great news for Detroit since the Wizards are 6-18 ATS as a home favorite since last season. The Pistons confidence should be improved since they have won four in a row over Washington (3-1 ATS). Detroit is 8-1 OVER in road games versus offensive teams scoring 99 or more points a game this season, unfortunately, that is not a good thing, since they have lost by over 11 points an outing.

Lucky fans in these two cities can watch this encounter starting 7:00 Eastern and Pistons fans should take heart, since the all-time record for consecutive losses is actually 21, ending the 1979-80 season with 14 defeats and starting the next year with seven more.