Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry (centre) scores on Boston Celtics' Kelly Olynyk during second half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Saturday, January 10, 2015.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
The Detroit Pistons visiting the Air Canada Centre on Monday night look nothing like the hapless crew that the Toronto Raptors clobbered back in December, a night when "We the North" chants from a bus full of Canadian fans took over the lifeless Palace of Auburn Hills.
These Pistons have won eight of their past nine games – including road wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks – after starting the season a paltry 5-23. On Dec. 22, they made news by releasing the talented but tumultuous Josh Smith. They suddenly began winning, and a franchise that hasn't made the playoffs since 2009 has become the talk of the NBA.
Cutting Smith sent shock waves through the NBA. He was arguably their best player and had two years and some $27-million (U.S.) left on his deal, and the Pistons got nothing for him. He was averaging 13.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, but had a dreadful true shooting percentage and was widely considered inconsistent and mercurial.
But now few are questioning the bold call made by first-year coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. Without Smith, the team has improved to 13-24 and is drawing crowds back to a building that has been cavernous. The Pistons sit a couple of games out of the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Smith's departure has coincided with the return of Jodie Meeks from a back injury. It has also created more space on the floor for big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond and shooters such as Meeks, former Raptor D.J. Augustin and Brandon Jennings.
During this nine-game stretch, it has become routine to see upward of six Pistons score in the double figures each game. That happened just three times through the 28 games they played before Smith's release.
When Smith was on the court, the Pistons could manage just 97.3 points per 100 possessions – better than only the Philadelphia 76ers in offensive efficiency. They have improved to 105 points per 100 possessions since Smith left.
A hilariously edgy catchphrase has helped create Detroit's rallying identity. Television cameras captured Van Gundy instructing his Pistons in a timeout while leading San Antonio by one with 0.1 seconds remaining. Van Gundy told his team to "form a f---ing wall" in front of the basket, because time only allowed the Spurs to win on a tip-in. His phrase took off on social media. The team came out to Pink Floyd's The Wall at their next home game, and their dancers wore T-shirts reading, "The Wall vs. Everyone." The slogan now actually has its own Twitter account.
Detroit also beat the Mavs the next day, and Dallas coach Rick Carlisle called the Pistons "one of the best basketball teams in the NBA."
Suddenly this squad is showing the grit of beloved championship Pistons teams of the past: the Bad Boys and the Going to Work crew.
Raptors fans know how quickly fire can catch. Toronto's franchise began a similar journey last December with the trading of Rudy Gay. It coincided with wins, a playoff appearance and a whole new We the North identity that exploded in popularity when Masai Ujiri took to the microphone with his "F--- Brooklyn" one-off.
A month ago, few would have considered a Raptors meeting with the Pistons on a cold Monday night in January to be a pivotal matchup. Now, with Detroit surging and 25-11 Toronto battling to regain its form, this contest is brimming with intrigue.
Rachel Brady