Most Detroit Pistons fans would have been happy with 30 wins and modest improvement last season after suffering through the worst season in franchise history the year before. But now that the Pistons won 44 games and made the playoffs, there are expectations that success will continue.
44 wins is now the baseline for this young team to be considered a success, and if they fall short of that next season, some will deem it a failure. That may not be fair to a young team still building a winning culture, but success brings expectations.
The Pistons won’t be a feel-good story next season, fans will expect them to improve upon their win total and seeding in the Eastern Conference, especially now that the East is deemed “weak” because of key and unfortunate injuries to rivals Indiana and Boston.