The East has a chance
As Jason Kidd hobbled his way through a Piston rout Thursday night in New Jersey, two things became apparent: Kidd's knee injury is more serious than previously thought and, the Detroit Pistons can now set its sights on the Indiana Pacers for their imminent meeting in the Eastern Conference finals.
If Kidd's injury requires surgery and keeps him out for the rest of the regular season and possibly the playoffs, it would spell the end of the Nets' season. They rely too heavily on him for energy, leadership, ball handling and fast-break points to be able to weather his absence.
And with Kenyon Martin also ailing, the frontcourt is in trouble too. This is a team that struggles to score even with everyone healthy. The Nets rely on forcing turnovers to create fast-break points, but they're not a great shooting team nor do they have a low post threat. Without Kidd and Martin, how are they going to score?
Even with those two in the lineup on Thursday, the Nets couldn't score against Detroit's tenacious defense. Of course, there's no shame in that these days. The Pistons are shutting everyone down, having set an NBA record by holding five consecutive opponents under 70 points heading into the New Jersey game. (I'm sure David Stern is thrilled with that record). The streak would have reached six if not for a last second tip-in by Aaron Williams, which provided the only drama in Detroit's easy 89-71 win.
Not surprisingly, the Pistons' impressive defensive stretch has occurred since the trade for Rasheed Wallace. He has paired with Ben Wallace to form the league's most active, athletic, long armed frontcourt.
Rasheed covers the screen and roll extremely well, using his speed to harass guards and still recover to his man, which in turn allows Ben to patrol the lane. The guards know they have help behind them and are able to extend out to the perimeter and pressure the ball. The Nets couldn't get past half court before making a turnover Thursday night, and the game was essentially over in the second quarter.
The other reason the Pistons are so good defensively is their depth. Lindsey Hunter is healthy, and he pressures the ball as well as anyone in the league. Mike James, who came over from Boston in the Rasheed deal, has played well at both ends of the floor, and Mehmet Okur and Corliss Williamson are versatile players off the bench.
The nine-man rotation allows for major flexibility defensively, and it keeps the Pistons out of foul trouble. That means they can play high-energy, aggressive defense for 48 minutes without wearing down.
Whether the Pistons can win an NBA title probably depends on their offense. They were very careless with the ball against New Jersey, and they suffer occasional dry spells. Rasheed is not yet comfortable with his teammates and hasn't broken out offensively. Eventually he'll be counted on in crunch time, and he'll have to give the Pistons scoring on the low block. Still, he's certainly capable and has some help in big shot-makers Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups.
One thing that's been proven in the history of the NBA is that championship teams defend well. Detroit is shutting teams down, and with the confidence they now have, they appear to be a contender for not just the Eastern Conference crown, but the whole ball of wax as well.
The Western Conference powers are showing signs of weakness – Tim Duncan's been hurt for the Spurs, the Kings can't stop any team, the Timberwolves are losing, and the Lakers are, well, the Lakers. Detroit has to feel like they've got a shot.
Unfortunately with the way things are shaping up for the Nets, they can't say the same thing.
