The stats and the scenes from Portland told the story on Sunday night.
The Detroit Pistons’ greatest win in the state of Oregon was their Game 5 triumph in the 1990 NBA Finals, which clinched a second straight world championship.
Sunday night’s game, in the first weeks of a new season, won’t acquire earth-shattering significance… but it will be remembered for a long time just the same.
Andre Drummond went for 29 and 27.
Reggie Jackson uncorked a 40-burger.
The Pistons slapped a 24-0 run on the Trail Blazers in a 41-11 fourth quarter.
Here’s how #NBATwitter reacted:
Last 3 players with 3 20-20 games in first 6 games of season Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Andre Drummond (via @eliassports)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 9, 2015
20 PTS/20 REB games this season… Andre Drummond: 3 Rest of NBA: 1 pic.twitter.com/SVvGIMprSi
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) November 9, 2015
Reggie Jackson just had 26 pts in the 4th Q on 11 shots. And Drummond finished with a 29-27 HAHHAHAHAHAHHA
— Andy Glockner (@AndyGlockner) November 9, 2015
I haven't seen two guys take over a game like that since … well, I guess KD/RW do it … but holy hell, that was utterly ridiculous
— Andy Glockner (@AndyGlockner) November 9, 2015
Not 100% sure I got this right, but looks like #Pistons scored 1.52 points per possession in 4Q to Portland's 0.41 ppp. Astounding dominance
— Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) November 9, 2015
In the last 30 years, the most 20/20 games by a Piston in a season is four by Bill Laimbeer. Drummond has three on Nov. 8.
— Dave Hogg (@Stareagle) November 9, 2015
Career 25/25 games, active players: 1) Andre Drummond, 3. 2) Dwight Howard, 2. 2) Al Jefferson, 2.
— Dave Hogg (@Stareagle) November 9, 2015
Since 1985-86 (as far back as @bball_ref goes for this), no player has ever totaled 120 points and 120 rebounds in their first six games.
— Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) November 9, 2015
This is exactly why his contract wasn't bad. Context/fit matters so much. https://t.co/xEiOHRPGGZ
— Bryan Gibberman (@Gibberman10) November 9, 2015
That’s a very small sampling of the reaction to what Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson did in one quarter on Sunday.
We are quickly brought in touch with a whole host of intriguing questions. They start with the smaller and simpler ones:
“Is Drummond an All-Star?” (Answer: HECK YES!)
They branch out to the bigger ones:
“Are the Pistons likely to make the playoffs?” (Answer: Extremely likely.)
The temptation will be to answer the biggest questions in the affirmative:
“Is Detroit an East contender (defined either as 53-win material or top-five caliber)?”
“Is Drummond on his way to becoming a generationally great big man?”
It’s much too early to answer either one of those questions, especially the second.
However, the mere fact that those questions possess at least some legitimacy — i.e., that you can ask them and not be laughed out of a room — is a statement in itself.
DEEEEEE-TROIT BASKET-BALLLLLL will remain a central conversation piece in this NBA season.
Being able to say that on November 9 comes as a bit of a shock… just ask the Portland Trail Blazers, who are still wondering what the license plate number was on the truck which destroyed them in one furious fourth quarter.