Toronto Raptors (20-6) at Detroit Pistons (5-21): 3 keys to victory

Dec 17, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) looks to shoot on Detroit Pistons forward Josh Smith (6) in the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Two teams heading in opposite directions clash in the Motor City tonight. The Toronto Raptors were expected to tumble without DeMar DeRozan, but instead are 6-4 since our All-Star shooting guard went down. The Detroit Pistons, meanwhile, have been struggling, to put it kindly. Pistons fans [20-second timeout: what few there are – Detroit ranks last in the NBA, with an average crowd of well under 14K at home, which is 61.9% of capacity. Look for a bunch of Raps fans to be on hand, waving banners and making noise.] may have taken heart that their wretched team was turning the corner after 2 straight road wins against tough opponents last week. Nope; they’ve dropped two games since, and are a pitiful 2-14 at the Mausoleum Palace of Auburn Hills, including 11 straight losses.

“There is less to this than meets the eye.” – attributed to Tallulah Bankhead, American actress

Can you figure out why this team is losing? Superficially, the Pistons appear to have at least a respectable starting unit (although their bench is a train wreck). They signed former Hawk gunner Josh Smith for 3 years at $14M per, and are on the hook to him for another 2 years past this one. For that they are getting just over 25% shooting from deep, 47.6% from the free throw line (WHAT?!), …OK, he’s a good shot blocker, but overall this guy makes Charlie Villenueva look like a bargain. Greg Monroe, one of the Twin Towers who was supposed to be returning hoops glory to Michigan, is punching the clock this season while he awaits a trade or the final buzzer of Game 82, whichever comes first, after which he’s gone. He’s already been demoted to the bench (in favour of Kyle Singler, who couldn’t make the Raps’ second unit), so the Pistons are movin’ on. Andre Drummond, the other Tower, isn’t going anywhere. He dropped 19 points and 24 rebounds on Dallas on Wednesday night, but the Pistons lost and Drummond was minus26. Are you confused yet? He’s 22, and indisputably has a bright future, but his trend line is in the wrong direction. Quick example: from a 62.3% Field Goal rate last season to 48.4 this. Brandon Jennings, their shoot-first point guard, has also seen his numbers dip this season. The result of all this slippage? The Pistons’ offense ranks 28th, just ahead of the disastrous Knicks and supertanker 76ers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a youthful shooting guard, has shown flashes of talent and may be a building block for them. He’s doubled his scoring from his rookie season, although I can’t fathom why he manages only 3.3 rebounds. He should accumulate that flat-footed just by positioning.

I’ve already made disparaging remarks about their rotation bunch, so I won’t carry on. I just wonder how Stan Van Gundy, an allegedly brilliant coach who’s also the Pistons’ President of Basketball Operations (too weird), thinks his team is going to improve with washed-up people like Caron Butler, Joel Anthony & D.J. Augustin littering the roster.

As long as all the Raptors have their heads in the game, a win is in the offing if our players…:

(1)…neutralize Drummond on the boards, and hack him if he’s grabbed one on offense. He’s a bricklayer at the charity stripe. Don’t be surprised to see Chuck Hayes take on the young giant.

(2)…run roughshod over their second unit. Book it.

(3)…play them “loose” beyond the arc, and tight inside it. The Pistons take a lot of long balls, but don’t make very many. Grab the deep rebounds which result from those misses, and turn them into fast-break points.

This team’s thoroughbreds are few, and their nags are many. Toronto 113-Detroit 90.