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Detroit Pistons fans fed up after another ugly loss: 'This is unacceptable'
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Detroit PistonsLiveTodayTomorrowvs--|
New Orleans PelicansLiveTodayTomorrowvs--|- Dwane CaseyAmerican professional basketball coach
- Troy WeaverAmerican basketball executive (born 1968)
The Detroit Pistons built a double-digit cushion for the third straight game.
And for the third straight game, they fell apart down the stretch, losing for the 11th straight time in what has quickly become a more painful than expected season.
The rebuilding Pistons (4-21) are owners of the NBA's worst record after Friday night's agonizing 109-93 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans — without their best player, Zion Williamson — the worst team in the Western Conference at 8-20. The game wasn't even that close, as the Pels led by 27 in the fourth quarter and the Pistons scored the final 10 points in garbage time.
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The Pistons started hot in building a 15-point lead at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, scoring 43 points in the game's first 15:30. But they quickly squandered the advantage, and took a mere 55-54 lead into halftime.
The Pistons' starters hit one basket from the field in a horrific third quarter, allowing the Pelicans to crush them 29-12, for an 83-67 lead. The Pistons scored 15 points in 16 minutes of game time, from the middle of the second quarter to late in the third, turning a 43-28 lead into a 73-58 deficit — an extended 45-15 run.
As you can imagine, the Pistons fans still tuned in weren't happy with the performance. #PistonsTwitter grew more frustrated with each passing minute in the second half, with some looking big picture and questioning the "restoration" under veteran coach Dwane Casey and second-year general manager Troy Weaver — a man who said after last season's plucky 20-52 performance: "I don't like the way it smells. I don’t like anything about it. The only way to improve that is I gotta come back better. I’m looking forward to coming back better.”
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Though expectations were low for this young team — I ranked them 14th of 15 teams entering the season in a suddenly deep Eastern Conference — despite relatively good health, the Pistons have been the league's worst shooting team, second-worst on offense and second-worst in net rating at minus-9.8, and have rarely been fun to watch. They were booed at home last month, and have lost an NBA-high nine games by 15 points or more.
All this despite the excitement of No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham and all three of last year's first-round draft picks starting and earning significant minutes.
Is it time to panic? No. Rebuilds are painful. But this has been a dispiriting season thus far, and it's fair to question the performance of everyone.
A rundown of reactions in real time from Friday's defeat:
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I was wrong
— PistonsThoughts (@PistonsThoughts) December 11, 2021
As soon as the other team makes a run, you can see everything change. It’s become predictable. The body language screams “here we go again.” It turns into every man for himself.
— Keith Black Trudeau (@Charlottean28) December 11, 2021
This is disgusting
— Justin Lambregtse (@JLambregtse) December 11, 2021
The Pistons are very clearly the worst team in the NBA right now and it hurts
— PistonsThoughts (@PistonsThoughts) December 11, 2021
This is unacceptable, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. https://t.co/AFU04yqXUn
— Ku (@KuKhahil) December 11, 2021
Been saying it for a month now: the chemistry on this team is rotten. They do not have any confidence in each other. I don’t know is what the exact issues are but internally they do not like playing together. There’s no fight night in and night out.
— Keith Black Trudeau (@Charlottean28) December 11, 2021
Pistons are on life support
— Eli Bashi (@EliBashiNBA) December 11, 2021
I've never heard Blaha so defeated
— Jackson Ozark (@J_zark) December 11, 2021
I can’t even watch anymore. Poorly coached, can’t shoot and just lack talent.
— Jason Dougherty (@jasonliamkenzi) December 11, 2021
Would love to know what Troy Weaver thinks watching this garbage. Remember the guy who said 20 wins don’t sit well with him. They’re not reaching 20 with this group.
— Mike A (@mikea71) December 11, 2021
Just saw the Pistons score. I don’t know what happened, but that can’t happen.
— Duncan Smith (@DuncanSmithNBA) December 11, 2021
Most of all. Rather than being honest about the team being terrible this season, the franchise leaned into the idea that they would be feisty this season. They deserve the disdain from fans right now
— Joe Truck (@Joe_Truck) December 11, 2021
The Pistons were expected to be bad. Expected to lose.
What’s happened so far this year, esp recently, is not that. It’s worse. The Pelicans might be the worst defensive team in the league.
The Pistons may not break 90 points. They were up by 15.— Ku (@KuKhahil) December 11, 2021
Our Pistons beat writer Omari Sankofa II was on the scene and tweeted reactions from Casey and Cunningham after the game:
Casey: "We totally gave into adversity. You know the team is going to come out and try to make a run. We had a good lead. Didn't keep our foot on the pedal. They started making a run before the half and we didn't respond in the proper way."
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) December 11, 2021
Casey: "Everybody in that locker room is young, but they're professionals. Being young doesn't mean you don't come out and compete."
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) December 11, 2021
Cunningham on the third-quarter collapses: "I think we still just gotta get over that hump and keep on working. Not lose ourselves in that search. Just keep going."
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) December 11, 2021
Asked Cade about losing this much for the first time in his life: "It's definitely tough. It's not something I've been through before. At the same time I'm starting to love the process, trying to get better each day and find something to bring to the equation to help us."
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) December 11, 2021
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons fans fed up after another 'unacceptable' loss
