It seems as if Dwight Howard is determined to not let his dreams of returning to the NBA fade away just yet, as the player left the league to compete in Taiwan after 18 years in the U.S. professional basketball. Now, he hasn’t been able to find a team interested in his services for a comeback, but he keeps insisting.
Amidst Detroit‘s historic-losing streak, the veteran center shared a video on social media with the names of at least 10 former NBA veterans who have also struggled to sign new contracts in the league, including John Wall and Blake Griffin, who he believes could lead the Pistons to victory.
“You know who would win them some games lol …IT, John Wall, Michael Beasley, Demarcus (Cousins), Me. Bench: Do, Kemba (Walker), Lance (Stephenson), Blake (Griffin), Tacko (Fall),” the video says.
You know who would win them some games lol …IT, John Wall, Michael Beasley, Demarcus, Me
Bench: Do, Kemba, Lance, Blake, Tako https://t.co/yJjRadwnmJ pic.twitter.com/CcPhkH7ImC
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) December 28, 2023
Unfortunately for the Pistons, they just lost their 28th consecutive game this Thursday in an exciting overtime contest against the Celtics that ended 128 to 122.
“They bring a spirit and integrity and toughness to the gym every single day. I hurt for them, you know we just we feel like we’re just getting so close to not just winning one game but winning a lot of games if we play that way versus most teams in the league,” said the team’s head coach Monty Williams once the game was over.
It was a hard matchup for the Michigan franchise, as Boston came into the match with the NBA’s best record at 23-6, while the Pistons are the league’s worst with a 2-28 record.
“I told them that it takes a lot of character and integrity to do what they’re doing,” Williams shared. “I’ve been in the league for a while and I’ve seen teams give in to circumstances that are less than what we’re dealing with and that was admirable.”
The last time Detroit won a match was right at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, when they defeated the Chicago Bulls on October 28 and earned a 2-1 mark.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was careful not to underestimate the Pistons and revealed what he told his players before the matchup
Despite the fact that Thursday’s clash was between the best and worst records in the NBA, coach Joe Mazzulla wasn’t entirely confident his team would have it easy against Detroit. The Boston trainer revealed what he told his players before the match, as he believed the opposition was playing better and better with every game.
“I think there’s the expectation that it’s supposed to go a certain way or it’s supposed to be easy and that’s just not the case,” he explained. “Just playing the game regardless of the other team’s record and I think sometimes you get caught up in this team should be up by this much at first quarter, half-time, and that’s just not how it works. It’s an NBA game, they’re NBA players, they’re healthy, they’re playing really hard, and they’ve been in a lot of games.”
During the game, it seemed like the desperate Pistons would take advantage of an over-confident Celtics squad, as the contest went into overtime. “Each loss they’re actually playing harder because they want to win,” Mazzulla insisted. “It’s going to happen.”
After all, Boston escaped with a victory and kept their perfect home record intact at 15-0, as they are back to leading the Eastern Conference standings.
