Jaden Ivey, Shaq, and Andy Isaac | The Weekly Drive
The Pistons picked some nice wins, suffered some disappointing losses, but remain locked in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Good morning everyone, and welcome back to the Palace of Pistons Weekly Drive. Whether you’re reading this over morning coffee, at your desk, or on the John, we appreciate you tuning in. The Pistons have a soft stretch of schedule coming up and can further cement their place in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Let’s get into it.
Game Recaps
Game 62: Detroit 134, Utah 106
Rapid Detail: Almost everyone of consequence on the Utah Jazz sat out with “injury”, but nevertheless the Pistons took advantage of the situation and won in blowout fashion. Ausar Thompson had 17 points on a perfect 7/7 shooting, while Jalen Duren continued his tear with 16 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, and two steals.
Game 63: Detroit 115, Los Angeles 123
Rapid Detail: A 37-point double-double from Cade Cunningham was not enough to overcome a 50-point eruption from James Harden. Its more of a “tip your cap and move on” type of situation, as the Pistons didn’t necessarily play bad (they shot 21/22 at the rim and 52% overall), just not well enough. The Clippers, who were desperate for a win, were without Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell as well.
Game 64: Detroit 110, Golden State 115
Rapid Detail: Late game execution failed the Pistons as they dropped their second game in a row. The revitalized Warriors had been playing really of late, and this game was no exception. Even with that, Detroit hung around until the final 35 seconds.
Game 65: Detroit 119, Portland 112
Rapid Detail: Now that is how you bounce back. In what could have been seen as a trap game, the Pistons prevailed in holding off a Blazers team that is somehow fighting for a Play-In Tournament spot. Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe went a combined 8/25 from the floor and 1/11 from behind the arc.
Game 66: Washington 103, Detroit 123
Rapid Detail: A chippy game despite the score, with some shoves and elbows thrown late. But the Pistons never trailed for a second and led by double-digits for the entire second half. A dominant win against the worst team in the league.
Game 67: Washington 129, Detroit 125
Rapid Detail: It was an ugly game from the defense. The Wizards scored 20 points more than their season average (which is 4th worst in the league). Yes, Cade has a 38-point double-double, but J.B Bickerstaff will not be happy with the defensive effort.
Game 68: Oklahoma City 113, Detroit 107
Rapid Detail: The Pistons gave it a good effort, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he is an MVP contender. SGA dropped 48 points, but Cunningham had a season-low 11 points on 5/18 shooting before getting ejected in the third quarter.
Jaden Ivey Update
The Pistons finally provided an update on shooting guard Jaden Ivey, indicating that he is progressing well and will be evaluated in another four weeks. That means Ivey won’t be back for the regular season, but could be available for the playoffs depending on how the healing goes.
While disappointing, the Pistons have been playing very well without Ivey anyway. That affords the organization time to let him heal properly and not rush him back.
News and Notes
There is no denying that Thompson has the makings of a generational defender, but does he need a jump shot to reach his apex? Probably, but it doesn’t seem as necessary as we first thought coming out of the draft. The guys talked about it on last week’s podcast.
Does Shaq watch basketball? I mean probably, but he doesn’t watch the Pistons that’s for sure.
The NBA announced that Pistons head coach J.B Bickerstaff was named Coach of the Month for February. this was the first time a Pistons head coach was named Coach of the Month since 2008 when the late Flip Saunders received the honor.
Remembering Andy Isaac
Chances are that if you are a Detroit sports fan on Twitter/X, you also followed Andy Isaac. Even if you didn’t follow him, you more than likely saw posts by him. Isaac is one of the “OGs” of Detroit sports social media, had been battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma since 2006 and chronicled his time with it. Isaac announced on X/Twitter in February that he had decided on hospice care and, just a few weeks later, his account stated that he had passed away peacefully.
I never had the chance to meet Andy, but scroll through the comments under his last two social media posts and you can see how beloved he was. Every major Detroit sports team, Michigan State athletics, national sports writers and personalities, and longtime followers expressed their gratitude for Isaac. ESPN had a segment about Isaac, hosted by Elle Duncan. Men’s Journal posted about him, too. Even People had an article about Isaac, a non-sports outlet. His reach and impact was far and wide.
Rest easy, Andy. As always, Faturday forever.
See you next week.
Mike