Okay, I'm going to do it. The dread, worthless, useless, non-existent "moral victory" take. I do it because I feel it in my heart.
First, reality: This could only happen against prissy, soft, immature, arrogant Boston coached by a mental midget. The "Pistons" do not lead any other team in the Association by 21 at any point in any game. Mazzula had them unprepared as he always does. The empowered players call the shots in Bean Town. So that 21-point lead will not replicate against a lesser, but better team. That's the caveat and it's real.
The "Pistons" gave it all up in the 3rd Q and that's a Boston trait too, but the "Pistons" never gave up. Boston is so good that they can turn it on when they have the will to.
But the "Pistons" didn't quit. They stayed close in the 4th and took the lead. They forced overtime, their first of the season. The effort was there. In spades. Their was will from Detroit tonight.
Monty Williams coached his ass off. My sense is he doesn't coach his ass off in practices but he did tonight. He called the right time outs when they needed most to be called. The sloppy, silly turnovers, which should be correctable and should have been corrected before 2-29 were not corrected. They simply will not win a game against another opponent when they're up 21 and give it all back and commit the mind-breaking turnovers and fouls that they did tonight, and have throughout this wretched streak.
But Cade Cunningham is the real deal and Jaden Ivey hit monstrous shots, as did Bojan Bogdanovic. But the "Celtics" made their own only-the-"Celtics" bird pumps that kept the game in doubt deep into overtime. OVERTIME. Detroit had never been in overtime this year. They took everything skillful, sublime, but arrogant and uber-talented Boston threw at them and led and tied it at the end of regulation and were competitive for half of OT.
Detroit is too poor to win this game, which they almost did and their poor quality and this unique opponent tonight can not be improved or built upon.
The reasons to feel less horrible tonight if you're a "Piston" are that they weathered Boston's 3rd Q blitz without folding, and Monty Williams really tried to win. They play 12th Toronto Saturday in Detroit, 12-18 are the "Raptors" but Toronto is not a pampered, elite team that thinks it can win any game they play. They will want to beat Detroit with laser focus.
There is insufficient upside to tonight's achingly close L to believe it can carry over Saturday.
But tonight Detroit played and were coached better than any other game they have played this season.
Those don't add up to a moral victory but they were a different, a more purposeful, willful team. Those are positives. They will not lead to many, if any victories.
