National Basketball Association Roundup: Pistons finish strong, top Cavs, 104-99

On the second night of a back-to-back, that’s all you wanted from a young, up-and-coming team. Drummond has had a double-double in all 11 games this season.

Signing a lucrative 0 million deal does not guarantee a player will stay with the team he signed for based on the terms they agreed upon.

Earlier today, an ESPN story was released about the Cleveland Cavaliers, specifically covering the dynamic between LeBron James and center Timofey Mozgov. Fans, staff, and officials are ushered to a sight where James lays his demands and criticisms on the 29-year-old giant from Russian Federation, whether its a botched offensive play or a failed defensive rotation.

But, the cheers from the crowd of 18,442 were clearly for the home team.

After all, the Pistons are young and rebuilding. But by no means is it a finished product.

Coming into this season, it was unclear whether Andre Drummond would ever fulfill his massive potential. He’s the cornerstone you need to build a franchise into a legitimate championship contender. Love only managed to score 19 points last night, and missed a crucial corner jump shot with little time left on the clock.

Down by one, James passed out of a double team to Kevin Love, who missed from the corner before the Pistons turned the ball over.

“It was a great basketball game to watch”. So we got a few guys who’ll do it and a few guys that don’t do it consistently. For now, the fun is watching them continue to figure it out. They knew the effort we were putting in and everything else and they got behind us. The Cavs D has actually been 5.6 points per 100 possessions better than it was a year ago, about the difference between the league’s No. 1-ranked Spurs D and the No. 12 Raptors. It would seem like Stanley Johnson would be in line for more time because of how worn down Morris is but Van Gundy does not think he is ready yet, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. The Pistons didn’t get their sixth win until after Christmas.

On the schedule, it looked like it would be a gift for Cleveland. “It was a long trip”. This has been highlighted lately thanks to a two-game losing streak, including last night’s loss to the Detroit Pistons where they squandered numerous opportunities for a victory. It’s the stretch four, the Ersan Ilyasova factor, that truly makes or breaks the blueprint.

“We can play better than this”, Curry told reporters after the league’s sole remaining undefeated team improved to 12-0 on the season and tied a franchise record for consecutive regular-season wins with 16 dating back to the last campaign.

Now, he has to protect his brand and make sure he wins a title, and he won’t mince words on teammates who don’t share his vision.

Regardless of whether the Pistons’ good start is sustainable, watching a new squad burst out of the gates with this much intent, identity, and authority is a thrill, and all the more fun for how suddenly it all arrived.