The shortened 2012 NBA regular season is nearing its conclusion, and an inconsistent Detroit Pistons team looks to have found a home as the 10th or 11th best team in the East.
The Pistons, who are a frustrating 23-40 on the year with three games remaining, currently sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, one full game ahead of Toronto, and one and a half ahead of both Cleveland and New Jersey. Despite the Pistons' 19-20 record over their last 39 games, a woeful 4-20 start to the season has made it nearly impossible for Lawrence Frank's team to ascend the standings.
Even though Frank's team has played much more inspired basketball than some of its closest competitors in the standings as of late, Detroit is still a full seven games out of the ninth spot, which is hard to swallow for a franchise that has been an absolute fixture in the playoffs in recent years.
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