After stumbling all the way, we reached the first place in the Eastern Conference! The most amazing dark horse in the new season, you also want to win the championship

The new NBA regular season has been open for more than two weeks, and the overall layout of the Western Conference is one super team with many strong teams. The Thunder won 9 of the first 10 games, and Alexander scored 20+ points in 82 consecutive games. Based on the long-term absence of second-in-command Jay Wei and the team's frequent injuries of 4-5, it can only be said that there is no pressure on the Thunder in the regular season. Behind the Thunder, many teams including the Lakers, Nuggets, Rockets, Trail Blazers, etc. performed well at the start of the game. Especially the Trail Blazers, who got stronger when they were strong. Under the guidance of Split's fast pace, the team successively defeated the Warriors, Lakers, Nuggets, and Thunder. It ranked first in the league in steals and the sharpest counterattack, but it had miraculous results. It's just that if the game continues like this, Yang Hansen may get fewer and fewer opportunities. The team needs a center, but Klingen + Lowe are enough.

Relatively speaking, the Eastern Conference is also more intense than predicted at the beginning of the season. Since Celtics core Tatum and Pacers core Haliburton both suffered serious Achilles tendon injuries, these two teams withdrew from the competition early. It is generally believed that the Knicks and Cavaliers will compete for a ticket to the Finals in the Eastern Conference this season. In fact, the reason is very simple. The two teams' total expenditures rank among the top two in the league, both have top starting configurations, and their lineups are deep enough. But both teams also have huge shortcomings. The Cavaliers' two small guards Mitchell + Garland are easily targeted in high-end games. The Knicks' new coach Mike Brown intends to overturn the fruits of his predecessor Thibodeau's labor and create his own model. But in addition to these two teams, there is another dark horse emerging, that is, the Pistons. They started with 7 wins and 2 losses, and unexpectedly reached the first place in the Eastern Conference.

During the offseason, the Pistons said goodbye to Hardaway Jr. and Schroeder, but they also signed LeVert + Duncan Robinson + Jawante Green + Paul Reed, which significantly increased the thickness of the lineup. In addition, because Cunningham was successfully selected to the best third team last season, his contract was activated into a five-year super maximum salary of 269 million. Last season, the Pistons were sixth in the Eastern Conference in the regular season and were eliminated by the Knicks 4-2 in the first round. Looking at this result, you may think that the Pistons are not competitive, but the real embarrassment is the Knicks! The Pistons first snatched a victory from the Knicks at home. In G3, Brunson returned to the court for a violation of the rules and the referee did not call it. In G4, the Pistons were still leading by 4 points in the last minute. Hardaway Jr.'s three-pointer was obviously fouled and the referee ignored it. The referee's report after the game also admitted his mistake, but the result cannot be changed.

The Pistons were eliminated in this way. In the first four games of this season, the Pistons also stumbled, losing to the Bulls by 4 points, narrowly beating the Rockets by 4 points, narrowly beating the remnant Celtics by 6 points, and then defeated the Cavaliers by 21 points. The Pistons' biggest problem is actually their lack of offensive ability, averaging only 116.7 points per game, ranking 17th in the league. But in the next 5 games, the Pistons ushered in 5 consecutive victories, all the way to the top of the Eastern Conference! These 5 games were also stumbling. It doesn't matter how many points they won. What's important is that they only allowed their opponents to score 108.4 points per game! What level is this? The Pistons averaged 110.8 points per game, fourth in the league, and ranked third in the league in defensive efficiency of 110.1! The team has built an extremely tough team around Cunningham. Cunningham averaged 25.6 points and 9.7 assists per game, ranking fourth in the league in assists!

With Cunningham, Duren averaged 19.2 points per game + Osar (the brother of Rockets Amen) averaged 13.9 points per game + Harris averaged 13.5 points per game + Tolu Smith averaged 11 points + Stewart averaged 10.7 points per game + Dunro averaged 10.6 points per game + Holland averaged 9.8 points per game. Eight of them have the ability to average double figures per game. This is terrible. The opponent has no clear defensive focus. What the Pistons team lacks the most is talent. Cunningham was the No. 1 pick in 2021, Duren was the 13th pick in 22, Osar was the 5th pick in 23, Stewart was the 16th pick in 20, and Holland was the 5th pick in 24. In terms of overall talent content, they are not inferior to the Rockets and Thunder, and they have reached the stage of realizing their talents.

The US media specifically listed the Pistons' soaring triple jump in the past three seasons: in the 23-24 season, they posted a performance of 14 wins and 68 losses, of which 28 consecutive losses set a new NBA historical losing streak record; last season, the Pistons posted a record of 44 wins and 38 losses, ranking sixth in the Eastern Conference. They lost to the Knicks 2-4 in the first round of the playoffs, but their loss was indeed aggrieved. , the league values the big market like New York more than the depressed and neglected Motor City; and this season, they finally reached the first place in the Eastern Conference. Although it was only more than two weeks before the start, and although it was only a small sample, one thing is that the rise of the Pistons is surprisingly similar to that of the Thunder. When the Thunder won the first place in the Western Conference in the regular season in the 23-24 season, they relied on the defensive efficiency of the top three in the league. With defense, the lower limit will not be bad.

It is certain that the competition in the Eastern Conference is far less intense than that in the Western Conference. The Cavaliers and Knicks may not be able to maintain their status as Eastern Conference hegemons. Whether it is Mitchell or Brunson, as the core of the team, they are more likely to guarantee the lower limit of the regular season. The playoffs are labeled as "data brushes". There are obvious shortcomings in defense and confrontation in high-end games. Relatively speaking, the entire Pistons lineup has no shortcomings, and Bickerstaff is a coach who specializes in training young people. As the biggest dark horse in the new season, they have great hopes to challenge the Knicks and Cavaliers and hit the championship. In the East, it's not that difficult to get a ticket to the finals.

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