Order of the Blazing Horse

After the playoff comeback of the millennium, the Detroit Pistons have stunned the Orlando Magic in Florida, forcing a game 7 at home on Sunday. Harry and Mickey are joined by Aaron Weaver to talk Cade Cunningham's ascension, Ausar Thompson's demonic defense, Uncle T Tobias Harris' value, Jalen Duren's, uh... presence?, and the energy shift provided when J.B. Bickerstaff brought in BBall Paul. Can the Pistons' repeat history and bury all the national media haters Magic in one fell swoop? Hooper and the boys will do everything in their power to bring that to fruition, especially using the help of Aaron's aura cleansing abilities.

The Detroit Pistons have accomplished the unthinkable - in a mere two years they've gone from 60 losses to 60 wins and secured the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. While Detroit dominated, even when missing Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart, most members of the media see them as an early exit from the playoffs. We at the Order have to ask, WHAT UP WIT DAT!?! Harry and Mickey talk what makes the Pistons tick, tick, and BOOM, why they should be considered more of a threat than they're getting credit for, and play a game of "You Might Be a Pistons Fan".

Harry and Mickey are joined by a very special guest. You know him from Spotrac and Front Office Show… the sultan of the salary cap, the king of contracts, one of the ball-knowingest writers and analysts in the biz: Keith mf-ing Smith! They talk narratives this season, the Pistons’ cap situation next season, and some potential offseason acquisitions. Then, they play a game called NO CAP, which is basically Jenga but with players’ contracts instead of wooden blocks.

With but a month remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, the Pistons received a devasting blow as Cade Cunningham suffered a partially collapsed lung. As they cling to their lead in the East, do Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and the Nasty Dawg b-sides have what it takes to fight off challengers at the top? Harry and Mickey, joined by Bryan Toporek, discuss their chances, the ever evolving potential playoff rotation, who they want to see in the first round, and which players need to step up the most. They also discuss the implications of Cade potentially missing out on awards, and how that could effect Jalen Duren and his money.

The boys (the good boys, not the Bad Boys) break down the recent play of some of Detroit's veteran players. While Tobias Harris has had a couple great games, the growing concerns about Caris LeVert have reached max capacity. Can Detroit afford to keep him in the rotation? Harry and Mickey also discuss what's worse for the league: tanking or flopping?

The Order is honored to be joined by another dynamic duo (no, not Cade and JD), but Josh and Kwab of The Dime! The quartet discusses Cade Cunningham's shot at winning MVP, the budding Pistons/Knicks rivalry, and whether or not the East is really as weak as the national narrative suggests. They close with their very own solution to the tanking conundrum - drafting punishments/humiliations for tanking teams. Praise horse.

Hey now, JD's an All-Star. We got 2 now (3 w/ J.B.). Go PLAAAAY. The Order of the Blazing Horse congratulates Jalen Duren on his first All-Star selection and break down what has made him such a special player this year. Then, they discuss the end of Jaden Ivey's Detroit tenure, the arrival of Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric, and the myriad ways Trajan Langdon can make moves to secure Daniss Jenkins a standard contract and roster spot on the Detroit Pistons before his 2-way availability (and the trade deadline) runs out. Plus, Harry and Mickey make an offer to the lords of chance in event the Pistons win 40 games before the All-Star break.

A loss to the Houston Rockets, the Order swallows a reality pill regarding the Pistons' offense and looks forward to the future. Mickey and Harry are joined by writer and Kings fan Whitney Ralls to discuss the upcoming matchup against Sacramento, Piston trade candidates Malik Monk and Keon Ellis, and the sad state of the Kings in general. They close by bringing back a fan favorite game, "Who You Talkin' Bout, Reddit?" - this time in the battle of Maliks (Monk and Beasley).

The Order is blessed to be joined once again by special guest Bryce Simon (@MotorCityHoops and @GameTheoryPodcastwSamVecenie ). They put a few different hats on his head, put the coals to his feet, and ask some burning (blazing even) questions facing this Detroit Pistons' staff as the team prepares for the final 4 weeks before the trade deadline. How can Fred Vinson improve the free throw shooting? What would J.B. Bickerstaff's playoff rotation be as of now? What kind of move, if any, will Trajan Langdon make to get Cade Cunningham some shooting/scoring help? What do you do with Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris, Caris LeVert, Marcus Sasser, the trade exception (TPE)?

The Pistons are on a bit of a skid, having lost 3 of 4 (with an absolute beatdown of the Lakers breaking it up), and questions loom large for this squad as they kick off the new year. Mickey and Harry talk Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris' injuries, the impact of Marcus Sasser, Ron Holland and Isaiah Stewart's defense, Cade's MVP case, Ivey's development, and offer some New Year's Resolutions the Detroit Pistons should consider.

After spanking the Hawks and overpowering the Celtics, the Pistons have won 6 of their last 7 and keep their lead atop the eastern conference. Mickey and Harry take a look at their upcoming schedule and preview the Detroit/Dallas matchup, asking who's more super, Cade or Cooper? They touch on the development of Jaden Ivey, see if the causes for concerns with Jalen Duren's statistical dip are valid, and close on a pipin hot sesh of Top 1s, ranking the first overall picks of the last decade.

Duncan Robinson has been out for consecutive games and the spacing is giving shades of '23-24. And while Cade Cunningham is coming off Player of the Month and J.B. Bickerstaff is coming off Coach of the Month honors, the still atop the east Pistons have some glaring holes they need to fix. Who can step up and be the number 2 to #2? Will anyone start hitting threes? Can they stop collapsing at the end of games? Why so many turnovers, dog? And for just a little fun, Mickey and Harry compile the All-Pistons-Killers Squad.

Another week of wins for the Detroit Pistons, who, at 13-2, are tied for their best start in franchise history. They've gone streaking, and they're coming off a massive win in Atlanta against the pre-season-darling Hawks. Harry and Mickey bring back the Overreactor to talk about this team's continued success in the face of all their injuries, the rise of Daniss Jenkins aka JENKINSANITY, and to speculate on the return of Jaden Ivey, who was recently assigned to the Motor City Cruise for his ramp up return to play.