The last time the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons crossed paths, the Celtics were seen as a team leaning into development for the season and the Pistons an interesting ball club projected to end up somewhere in the middle of a weaker Eastern Conference milieu. Then the two teams played, and Detroit center Jalen Duren had what then seemed like an outlier game with 24 points and 18 rebounds in a 119-113 Pistons victory Boston might have won had it been able to keep up on the boards.

But as we near the end of the month of November and the two Eastern Conference clubs get ready to square off again, it's become clear both teams are better than many expected, and the Pistons especially so. Duren appears to have taken a major leap forward that compliments Cade Cunningham expertly, and while not on Detroit's level, Boston has shown they aren't trying to lose and might even make the actual playoffs come April.

The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" got Motor City Hoops and Game Theory's Bryce Simon back on the pod to get us up to date on how Detroit has transformed their season and expectations with it, as well as getting an external set of eyes on how the Celtics have been playing of late. We of course preview their matchup and get caught up on news, so be sure to tune in this week.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.