Just a couple of weeks ago, the Detroit Pistons boasted the NBA’s 4th-best record since the beginning of February. The Pistons were 12-6 between February 1st and March 11th, had just won four out of five games, including a win over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, and had just made a smart move to swap Jon Leuer and Tobias Harris in the starting lineup.
That led the Pistons to their most crucial stretch of the season. Just a touch outside the six seed, all they needed to do was maintain their supposed new-found energy.