Los Angeles — Pistons team owner Tom Gores has stressed that the goal this season was to make the playoffs and show improvement over last season.
Rampant injuries to several of their starters, including Blake Griffin — who has missed 17 of their 35 games — have all but derailed their playoff hopes with a 12-23 start after Thursday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
Gores isn’t using the injuries as an excuse, but he sees the impact they have had on the playoff trajectory.