The Pistons’ upcoming road trip will include the home courts of four of the top five Eastern Conference teams (Cleveland, Boston, Orlando, Miami) and a Western Conference contender (New Orleans), in a short span of nine days.

And then “home sweet home,” right? I wish. The first game back is against the Nuggets, a team whose now formidable status needs no explanation for Pistons fans.

A 14-15 home record goes without saying.

Pessimism is a rampant mantra in these semi-dark days of Detroit basketball, and that state of mind could well worsen in the coming days.

In the spirit of the moment, the Pistons don’t stand much of a chance against a Cavaliers team that has only dropped one of its 25 home games.

If you’re a Detroit fan with a phobia of the sub-.500 realm, get ready to call your local shrink.

This could get ugly. You have been warned.

-Adam Debrowski, PistonPost.com editor