The Statement: It’s over!
The Question: Wait a second, what’s over? Was there anything even there, so we could actually say that it is truly over?
The Answer: No!
If I may dare to ask, will all the confused individuals please raise their hands!
Thank you.The so-called Detroit Piston Dynasty, which in actuality, never was, is now over for good!
Fifty years from now, when people look back and think about the Pistons, they will not think ‘Sheed, Ben, Rip, Mr. Big Shot, and Tayshaun. Rather, they will remember the ‘Bad Boys’ with Laimbeer, Dumars, Isaih, Rodman, and Salley. Thus, this begs the question: Is the current Piston team really a dynasty.
No! An emphatic NO!
Two back-to-back NBA Finals appearances culminating to one NBA Title does not merit immortal recognition. It does not warrant being regarded in the same conversation as the great dynasties like the Bulls, Lakers, and Celtics. I mean, it is hard to put any team in that same conversation, especially when the team features no obvious Hall of Famers and their best player is a 6’11” Power Forward who could implode at any time.
The team is getting exposed for who they really are. Don’t get me wrong, this team is good, but it is not great!
At this time last year, the Pistons were the second best team in the East, but thanks to key injuries to Shaq and Wade, not to mention injuries to Eddie Jones, Damon Jones, and Udonis Haslem, the Pistons slid by the Heat. Had Miami’s finest been healthy, Detroit would have been pummeled in five, and instead of talking about the mirage that is a Detroit dynasty, we would be talking about the Heat going for a repeat as NBA Champions.
It is time for everyone to open up their eyes and see Detroit for who they really are. Sure they had a good stretch, but they are no dynasty, so people need to close their mouths and stop spewing nonsense stating otherwise. For those who still believe that the ‘The Great Detroit Empire’ has not fallen, turn on your televisions, and actually take a look at what’s happening.
The team is playing lackluster basketball, and they are on the edge of internal destruction. Besides Chauncey, none of the other players are even acting like they have any respect for their head coach. Rasheed looks like he wants to go back to Portland, so he can take off his mask and unleash the beast inside of him. We have gone from ‘Hack a Shaq’ to ‘Hack a Ben.’ And Rip Hamilton is so frustrated, he has resorted to flagrant fouls of Wade because he knows there is no way to stop this young phenom.
All in all, Detroit is unraveling, and you know that things are bad, when their youngest starter is showing the most maturity, poise, and composure on the court.
As the series shifts back to Detroit for game five, the Piston ship is coming to a jarring holt. Don’t expect the Pistons to be able to suddenly revitalize themselves and surge to take three from the Heat. It just ain’t happenin’.
So, for all the people who still want to consider this Piston team as a great dynasty, consider this: Not only is this Detroit team a ‘not going to be,’ but they were also a ‘never was.’
4 replies on “No ‘D’ for Dynasty- Just ‘D’ for Detroit”
Good article… I agree that people are so quick to toss out the “D” word as soon as a team starts stringing a few winning seasons together. Fact is, the Pistons have only one recent title in ’04.
That being said, I wouldn’t be so quick to completely bury them. I still think they are a very good team (great? Jordan’s Bulls were GREAT) and a pretty resilient bunch who knows how to win. Miami has badly outplayed them from what I can tell (haven’t been able to watch the games in their entirety) and I don’t see them losing their grip on this one.
pistons-heat The Heat are just the better team this year and for the forseeable future (until Shaq retires). But it’s not over for the Pistons. With the joke of a conference they play in, it’s hard to see them not making the playoffs for the next 5+ years.
While Detroit isn’t a Dynasty this article is so biased for Miami, it’s laughable.
Come on. If Miami players hadn’t gotten hurt last year? Sports history is full of teams that “would’ve/should’ve/could’ve” if not for some key injuries.
Let’s not be hasty…. They aren’t out until they lose 4 games, and if there is a team in this league to count on showing the resiliency to make a great comeback, it’s these Pistons.
The problem with the Pistons mostly lies it motivation, which is difficult to keep up when you were far above the rest of the L for the whole regular season. Down 3-1 (3-2 now) is enough to motivate, I think.
Their potential for dynasty status is obviously still there (this article would have you believe there never was potential), because this team can do special things. Unfortunately for Detroit, a large amount of the respect they deserve is resting on Game 6 (they’ll take Game 7 at home.)