Chauncey Billups gives credit to those outside the Pistons organization? No way. Couldn't be.
After a season of comments about opponents and how seriously the Pistons do or don't take their contests with them -- namely the Bulls and Celtics -- it appears that Pistons' point guard is changing his tune for the postseason.
As reported by Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press:
"They've been a much different team the second half of the season," captain Chauncey Billups said [about first-round the opponent 76ers] after a lengthy practice Friday, "and that's the team we have to focus on. ... The team that's been playing the last 30 games, they're capable of beating us.
"We have to think about the last postseason," Billups said, "and it shouldn't matter who you're playing -- it only matters what happens to us. Because at this point, every team's capable."
Seems like a valuable albeit self-evident lesson from here.
This is a Pistons team that seems to have gotten into the habit of leading the league in nonchalance on an annual basis. The Motown boys have been a power in the East for some time now, which is a credit to their consistent work over the years. But their apparent lack of concern and 'too cool' mentality has certainly hurt them at times as well, most notably in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, when it took them far too long to realize that they had a serious challenge in Bron and his Cavs. By the time they did, it was too late.
Nice to see that Billups seems to have changed his mindset on this issue. Too bad it comes before a possible series with the Celtics.