The bad boy army, dormant for a long time, is resurrected

This season, the NBA's Western Division is filled with smoke, and the Eastern Division is no less simple. The top three teams in the Eastern Conference have combined for 26 consecutive victories. The Heat have a record of 12 wins and 6 losses, ranking third in the Eastern Conference. They have recently won five consecutive games. They have transformed from a defensive team to an offensive team. They currently rank first in the league in points per game (123.9 points) and third in assists per game (30.2). Since Butler left, the Heat have been on the decline, and they didn't expect to be able to re-enter the ranks of the Eastern Conference's top teams.

There are three main reasons:

First, the Heat themselves have accumulated a profound cultural heritage of a strong team and created a tough combat style, making it less likely to become a weak team.

Secondly, head coach Spoelstra is a good coach. He is well-deserved as the strongest head coach in active service. He can make the dishes taste meaty.

Third, the transaction was a big success. They used Love, Kyle Lee and a second-round pick to acquire Powell, the Clippers' core scorer last season. For the Heat and Powell, this is a win-win deal. While the Heat's combat power has increased, Powell has also taken on a new lease of life. This season, Powell is extremely efficient, averaging 25.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 50% from the field and 46% from three-point range. If he maintains this state, he will be an All-Star.

In front of the Heat, the Raptors, second in the Eastern Conference, have won eight consecutive games with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses. The Raptors' start is unexpected. Because in the first two seasons, their winning rate was only 30%, and they have always been an unpopular team with little presence in the Eastern Conference. Unexpectedly, they have become super popular now.

The main reason is that the Raptors have played their characteristics, team basketball + the ultimate fast break system, plus Ingram's joining of the line of fire; when he first arrived in the Raptors, Yingge became the team's first scoring point and team leader. This season, the Raptors really have a chance to stir up trouble in the Eastern Conference.

Even more exaggerated than the Heat and Raptors, the Pistons, number one in the Eastern Conference, have reached a record of 15 wins and 2 losses. Recently, they have won 13 consecutive games, tying the longest winning streak in team history. You know, the Pistons had a total of 13 consecutive victories twice before. One was in the 1989-90 season. The Bad Boys Legion took shape, with Isaiah Thomas as the star. That year, he led the Pistons to eliminate Jordan's Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals in the tiebreaker, and won the Finals 4-1 with the Trail Blazers.

The other time was in the 2003-04 season. With the powerful Pistons as a team and all the people, they were able to sweep the four-king Lakers 4-1 in the finals. At that time, the Lakers had Kobe + O'Neal + Payton + Malone. They were star-studded, but they were ultimately defeated by the grassroots team Pistons.

In the first two 13-game winning streaks, the Pistons successfully won the championship. Will this be a foreshadowing? This season's Pistons have completely inherited their past style, which is tough defense, full of confrontations, and also good at team basketball. He averaged 10.2 steals per game and 6.0 blocks per game, both ranking third in the league, and his defensive efficiency of 109.6 ranked second in the league. The Pistons' strong defense is not only due to their team culture, but also due to their head coach JB Bickerstaff; he is very good at the defensive system and encourages players to fight fiercely in the game and display their own characteristics.

The Pistons also have quite a lot of defensive resources, as well as young and ruthless players, such as the little monster Duren and the helicopter Osal Thompson; the most ruthless one is Stewart, a master of criminals, and LeBron James is tough and tough.

It is difficult for the current Pistons to replicate the style of their first two championship seasons. At the same time, the Pistons do not lack superstars to lead the team. The star Cunningham has risen and gradually evolved. This season, he averaged 27.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 9.6 assists per game. In addition to his excellent independent offensive ability, his organization and coordination are also at the top of the league, ranking second in the league in assists per game. Although Cunningham's statistics and team influence are still far behind those of stars like Jokic and Alexander, if the Pistons can continue to maintain such a strong record, Cunningham will definitely be in the MVP discussion.

Previously, Cunningham had scored at least 25 points and 10 assists in six consecutive games, becoming the sixth player in history to reach this level. Only Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Nate Archibald had done it before.

When talking about the team's winning streak, Cunningham also said, "Coming out of the trough of the longest losing streak in team history, now we are expected to hit the longest winning streak in team history - which is undoubtedly a cool thing... But this is just the inevitable result of our hard work day after day. This is not our ultimate goal, we have a more ambitious blueprint to achieve."

So do you think this Pistons really have a chance to win the championship this season?