I don’t ask for much, but I would love for the Pistons to win tonight’s game against the team everyone loves to hate. Especially leading up to Miami’s game tomorrow in Cleveland that could send them to .500 if they lose tonight. As maligned as the Heat are, and they certainly aren’t living up to expectations, the team is not as bad as their record indicates. Their pythagorean record says they should be sitting at a semi-respectable 13-5. Still, for a team expected to challenge the 70-win threshold, even five wins before game 20 would be considered a disappointment.

The Pistons greatest advantage tonight might be Rodney Stuckey. He’s had a strong run of games lately (though he struggled in the second half against the Magic) and the Heat have had trouble staying in front of quick, strong guards all season. The Heat also struggle on the offensive glass, and cleaning up offensive boards is something opponents have used to their great advantage against the Pistons. After playing 24 minutes of energetic basketball last night, I’m hoping Greg Monroe sees the floor quite a bit tonight. The Pistons could use his rebounding and he would be matched up against Chris Bosh who has been surprisingly content to hang around the perimeter so far this year.

What’s a bigger factor to losing– poor offense or poor defense? Based on the early returns for the Milwaukee Bucks the answer is poor offense. The Bucks have the league’s top defense and worst offense and sit four games below the .500 mark. Of course, tonight they face the Pistons who are poor on both ends of the floor this season.

Advantages for the Pistons include the chance for point guard Rodney Stuckey to have a big game as Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings can be taken advantage of and the Bucks’ aggressive foul-prone style of defense could complement Stuckey’s bull rushes into the paint. The Bucks have Andrew Bogut and any team that has a big man who can score in the paint has a big, nearly insurmountable advantage against Detroit.