The Detroit Pistons haven’t been in the playoffs since the 2008-2009 NBA season and since then the team has struggled trying to put the right pieces together to make another playoff run. Initially, the front office felt Josh Smith was a part of that plan. It wasn’t until they finally cut him earlier this year that they realized he was a key negative on their roster.
Since parting ways with “Smoove”, the Pistons have made a solid surge and suddenly are on the cusp of returning to the NBA playoffs. An Achilles injury to star point guard Brandon Jennings has set them back a bit, but with D.J. Augustin stepping up and big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond raising their level of play, Detroit has a real shot at making the 2014-15 NBA season a successful one.
More than anything, this year can be a step in the right direction, and in the process, Pistons fans can get a solid bargain. With Pistons tickets on ScoreBig averaging out at just $118.14 on the year, the value is already alive and well. Let’s see how much more value lies ahead as we break down the cheapest and most expensive Pistons games for the remainder of February:
Most Expensive – 2/22/2015 vs. Washington Wizards | Avg: $261.37 | Get-in: $8
Prices for Pistons vs. Wizards tickets skyrocket when John Wall and the Wiz come to town in late February. Washington is one of the stronger teams in the East and they boast a tough inside/outside attack. D.J. Augustin will have his hands full with Wall’s speed and athleticism, but the Pistons have the size and toughness to avoid getting pushed around by Washington’s collection of bigs.
Washington is undoubtedly the more put together and consistent squad at this point, but they topped Detroit by just four points in a meeting earlier this year. Now more cohesive, the Pistons should have a solid shot at stealing a nice win at home against a tough conference foe.
Cheapest – 2/8/2015 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves | Avg: $36 | Get-in: $3
Fans really feel the value in just a few days, as the struggles of Minnesota bring Timberwolves tickets down to just $36 on average for this game in Detroit. Fans can get in for the cost of a late to see Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Pekovic take the court. Minnesota is as healthy as they’ve been all year and should actually present a challenge, although not one the Pistons can’t handle.
Detroit hasn’t had the most success against the Western Conference this year, but the T’Wolves still haven’t pieced together many wins and should be a good matchup as they attempt to get on the same page with their team chemistry. Minnesota did find a way to top the Pistons in their first meeting, so Augustin and co. will want to tie this series up in an effort to avoid the season sweep.
