The Detroit Pistons have made the recent climb from outsiders looking into the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, a run that if kept alive could solidify the team's first playoff appearance since a 4-0 exit in the first round in 2016. Forward Blake Griffin is fully aware his team has responded in the form of winning nine of their last 11 games, propelling them into contention, yet he won't make much of it until their spot is etched in stone.
“What have we done? We’ve had a good stretch and a lot of teams have had good stretches,” said a grounded Griffin, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “Being in the sixth or seventh seed is absolutely nothing to be proud of. We tricked off two months of basketball.”
The Pistons had to overcome an improved Toronto Raptors team to muster the sixth seed in the East, a tall task they achieved in overtime thanks to Griffin, who led the team with 27 points, and a hot-shooting Luke Kennard, who filled up his cup with 19 points, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
The task to improve on this result is rather tall for the Pistons, who are still six games behind the fifth-seeded (and struggling) Boston Celtics, who at this point boast too much advantage separation to make a leapfrog a realistic goal.
Instead, the Pistons will have to maintain, keeping the Brooklyn Nets, the Charlotte Hornets, the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat at bay through their last 20 games of the season.
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