This one might be more of a must-win for Detroit than for Orlando. The questions thus far about Detroit have been related to energy, intensity, focus, effort ... that sort of thing. No one questions that they're the best team here. People do question, however, if they have the same drive, desire, and intensity of the other contenders.If Orlando wins, they send the message, "we managed to delay our demise by one game, because we played well at home, and the Pistons didn't care a ton." For Detroit, though, what message does it send if they can't sweep the worst team in the playoffs?
Of course, the Pistons haven't swept anybody since 1990, an amazing stat when you consider their recent postseason success. That stat also makes me think I'm overthinking things here ... it is possible for teams to be great teams and to win NBA championships without sweeping anyone. If they lose even one game to Orlando, though, it calls their focus and energy into question ... a question, I'm sure, that the Pistons and their fans would rather not deal with.




