Detroit and Chicago Battle for Playoff Position

This entry was written on Apr 12, 2009 by our Basketball Guru Brian Nemeth

Tomorrow brings one of the more important regular season games for both the Pistons and Bulls, who face off at Auburn Hills Monday for the right to either play Cleveland or Boston in the first round. Currently the Pistons sit in the 8th spot in the East, while the Bulls hold onto a one game lead for the 7th spot. As a Piston fan, nothing would be more perfect than to face Boston in the first round, coming off an embarrassing loss to Cleveland, the Celtics are backing into the playoffs with their main piece, Kevin Garnett, battling a sprained knee which has kept him out for most of the second half of the season. At most, KG will get one more regular season game under his belt before the playoffs, hardly enough minutes to get ready for a seven game playoff battle-royale.
Many Piston fans have been clamoring for a face-off with the Orlando Magic, who are themselves in a tailspin, losing three of their last four. Orlando, a team that Detroit has swept this regular season, has also fallen to the Pistons in their last three playoff appearances. Regardless, the Magic will be there waiting in the second round, so why not take on a hobbled Boston in the first round, who are extremely beatable with out a healthy KG?
Now tomorrow’s game is by no means a gimme for the Pistons. The Bulls have been playing great basketball, most of which is due to the acquisitions of John Salmons and Brad Miller, both of which came to the Bulls via a regular season trade with the Kings. The trade solidified the Bulls bench, along with adding a third player on the Bulls roster who can create his own offense in John Salmons. Luckily for Piston fans, the important swing game is in Detroit. The Bulls were on a 12-1 stretch at the United Center, but have not been near as dominate on the road. Regardless, it hould be a great game Monday. Reminds me of the good old days when Detroit and Chicago used to play important games like this on a nightly basis. Let’s hope that the results of the past can hold true for the Pistons Monday.