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
https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/663574104755187712
https://twitter.com/AndyGlockner/status/663572163006439425
https://twitter.com/AndyGlockner/status/663571709501435904
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
https://twitter.com/Gibberman10/status/663569726472261632
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.
