The Zach Lowe Show (The Ringer)

Episode: Spurs Withstand the Pistons Physicality and Sorting Through the Middle of the West
Date: February 24, 2026
Host: Zach Lowe
Guest: Michael Pina

Episode Overview

Zach Lowe and guest Michael Pina break down a highly physical, high-stakes Spurs vs. Pistons game—a matchup billed as a potential NBA Finals preview. They discuss what the game revealed about each team's title caliber, examine the broader debate around playoff experience and contender legitimacy, and then shift to the chaotic middle of the Western Conference, analyzing the cases for (and against) the Rockets, Nuggets, Lakers, Wolves, and Suns. Later, they take an introspective look at Zion Williamson’s puzzling status in New Orleans before ending with "one nice thing" about a tanking NBA team.

1. Spurs vs. Pistons: High-Intensity, High-Profile Showdown

[00:00–20:30]

Main Discussion Points

• Why This Game Mattered: With limited games on the calendar, all eyes were on this matchup. Both teams, largely viewed as young and "inexperienced," are leading their respective conferences.
• Game Recap:
  • Spurs win 114–103 in Detroit.
  • The game is marked by physical play, with Detroit targeting Victor Wembanyama, attempting to rattle him.
  • Wembanyama responds with "one of his most dominant defensive performances this season," finishing with 21 points, 17 rebounds (8 offensive), 4 assists, and 6 blocks.
  • Pistons struggle with offense: 7-of-36 from 3, awkward lineup shuffling, and Cade Cunningham inefficient on 5-of-26 shooting (but 10 assists).
• Physicality as a Narrative:
  • "They came in with a game plan. We're going to beat the shit out of him and we're going to see how he responds...my favorite thing about him is… he gets mad…but his version of snapping is, I'm going to make a couple threes and I'm going to block everything." – Zach Lowe [14:27]

Key Insights

• Spurs Prove Their Toughness:
  • Wembanyama's ability to "absorb physical punishment and not fold" is a key sign of playoff readiness.
  • Stefan Castle shines with 16 points, 11 assists, and tight defense.
• Pistons’ Concerns Exposed:
  • Their biggest red flag is perimeter shooting and offensive creation behind Cade Cunningham.
  • "This was like a perfect distillation of what...one might be worried about the Pistons." – Zach Lowe [03:32]
  • Pina draws parallels to the 2022 Memphis Grizzlies: “Elite ball handling, defense, toughness, rebounding, but no outside shooting.” [06:13]
  • Pistons’ defense and effort still legit, but limited spacing could be fatal against elite playoff defenses.

Notable Quotes

• “He responds every time…May not like the physical play…But he always brings it back to you and his defense travels every game.” — Zach Lowe on Wembanyama [03:32]
• “I don’t buy into the ‘too inexperienced’ narrative… Both these teams are contenders.” — Michael Pina [06:13]

2. Playoff Experience: Does It Matter for Contenders?

[20:30–34:25]

Historical Perspective

• Zach combs through recent NBA history: Very few title teams have succeeded with so little shared playoff experience. Exceptions (“microwave” superteams or sudden breakthroughs) are rare.
  • Closest analogs: 2020 Heat, 2021 Suns, 2002/03 Nets, 2025 Pacers.
  • Spurs: “No real postseason experience.” Pistons: “Basically one playoff loss.”
• Yet both believe these teams can survive — and possibly thrive — despite their inexperience, particularly with transcendent talents like Wembanyama.
  • “To me, the Spurs...are not far off from those archetypes [like] the 2020 Heat, 2021 Suns.” – Zach Lowe [28:25]

Playoff Experience: Pressure vs. Fatigue

• Not as worried about pressure or stage fright for young stars, more concerned about “the grind physically and mentally to get through four playoff rounds.”
• In the East, the Pistons’ path seems more plausible given conference weakness. Spurs have a harder road in a stronger West.

Quotables

• “Victor Wembanyama’s unprecedentedness kind of eclipses the downside of youth and inexperience.” — Michael Pina [30:32]
• “I think both of these teams can make the Finals. I think the Spurs can flat out win the championship.” — Zach Lowe [29:55]

3. Sorting Through the Western Morass: Seeds 3 to 7

[34:25–72:39]

Standings and Trends

• All teams in a “chaotic .500 zone” over the last month or two.
• Key Teams & Recent Records:
  • Rockets: 19–15 last 34 games.
  • Nuggets: 16–16 last 32 games. Offense: Top 5, Defense: 22nd in NBA.
  • Lakers: 15–15 last 30. Offense and defense both mediocre.
  • Wolves: 10–10 last 20, but recent playoff pedigree.
  • Suns: 10–10 last 20 plus major injury woes (Dylan Brooks out with broken hand).

Finals Contender Power Rankings

| Rank | Zach Lowe’s Finals Chances | Michael Pina’s Finals Chances | |:----:|:-------------------------:|:----------------------------------:| | 1 | Nuggets | Nuggets | | 2 | Wolves | Wolves | | 3 | Rockets | Lakers | | 4 | Lakers | Rockets | | 5 | Suns | Suns |

Key Soundbites

1. Nuggets: Defense a Crisis?

   • “Their defense, even beyond the guys who are absent right now, is just a f***ing mess… For a team that started the season with a top-10 defense, they look like they’re in total disarray.” — Zach Lowe [40:15–45:05]
   • “I still think they’re definitely a championship contender. Their offense is just otherworldly.” — Michael Pina [45:05]

2. Timberwolves: Still for Real?

   • “Their defense with Gobert on the floor is going to be borderline elite, no matter what… But I just have a ton of faith in Ant [Edwards].” — Zach Lowe [54:12]
   • “Some of the losses just stick in my head that are so mind-melting... I’d be very, very surprised if they came out of the West.” — Michael Pina [52:06]

3. Rockets/Lakers: Chalk Them Off

   • Rockets: Offense “elementary when it matters most,” plagued by injuries (notably VanVleet and Steven Adams), lacking a true half-court creator.
     • “Just doesn’t seem like it’s their year.” — Zach Lowe [59:30]
     • “Their offense is so elementary when it matters the most. Maybe next year.” — Michael Pina [59:58]
   • Lakers: Moments of synergy among Reeves, Doncic, and LeBron, but far too many disappearances, especially on defense and against serious competition.
     • “No faith that this team can win multiple playoff rounds... Negative net rating, just not a very good basketball team.” — Zach Lowe [66:01–72:39]
     • “Totally out on the Lakers, have no chance.” — Michael Pina [66:01]
     • On Luka’s defensive “memes”: “It’s got to be so annoying to play with him.” — Michael Pina [66:49]
     • On Luka’s offense: “Something’s just not sat right with me this year... It doesn’t feel as unsolvable as Dallas-Luka.” — Zach Lowe [68:26]

4. Spotlight: Zion Williamson and Puzzling Pelicans

[73:00–89:47]

• Context: Zion has played 42 games so far—third most in any season for him—but is MIA from the national conversation, as are the Pelicans in general.
• Declining Role/Usage:
  • Scoring, usage, assists all down. “His true usage rate has dropped 15.1 percentage points this season, which is the biggest year-over-year reduction in the entire league.” — Michael Pina [79:09]
  • Team moves away from Point Zion in favor of rookie Derrick Queen, muddling the Pels’ identity and reducing Zion’s screen/roll and post-up opportunities.
  • “It feels like something’s off... and it’s making me think we’re going to get to the end of the season and we’re going to get Zion trade rumors pretty fast.” — Zach Lowe [77:00]
  • Still uniquely efficient: “He’s fouled on a higher percentage of his shots than any player in the league.” — Michael Pina [80:07]
• Defensive and Playmaking Questions:
  • Defensive effort waning, poor rebounding, “complete disaster” as a partner with Queen in the frontcourt.
  • Offensively, reads and playmaking seem to have stagnated.

5. Positivity Break: “One Nice Thing” About a Tanking Team

[89:47–96:15]

• Michael Pina: Nolan Traore (Brooklyn Nets Rookie)

  • 19-year-old point guard gets into the paint, “not afraid to get knocked down,” high on drives and kick-out creation.
  • “He’s really surprised me every time I watch them play. His poise with the ball, running a team, being a point guard—it’s been fun.” — Michael Pina [91:43]

• Zach Lowe: Jarace Walker (Tanking Pacers)

  • Impressive growth over the last 13 games: passing, defense, increasing three-point shooting.
  • “He’s got some flashy assists… the kind of connective passing you could see him making when they blitz a Halliburton pick and roll.” — Zach Lowe [92:16]
  • Hopeful that Walker can be a long-term piece for Indiana.

Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Episode and game setup, stakes for Spurs/Pistons | | 03:32 | Physicality, Wembanyama’s resilience, Pistons’ shooting woes | | 06:13 | Pina: Parallels to 2022 Grizzlies, Pistons’ problems | | 12:19 | Pistons’ offense, missed opportunities, roster limitations | | 14:27 | Spurs’ gravity, Castle’s breakout, Wembanyama block highlights | | 20:30 | Team passing, playoff experience debate, historical analogs | | 30:32 | Spurs/Pistons: Can they win with no playoff experience? | | 34:25 | Western Conference middle-tier chaos (3–7 seeds) | | 40:15 | Nuggets’ crisis, defensive struggles, Aaron Gordon X-factor | | 52:06 | Timberwolves’ up-and-down season, recent cold stretches | | 59:30 | Rockets’ crunch time offense, injury fallout, capped ceiling | | 66:01 | Lakers: Defensive issues, Luka’s “meme” defense, fit quandaries | | 73:00 | Zion Williamson: Usage, fit, trade speculation | | 89:47 | Tanking team “nice things”: Traore (Nets), Walker (Pacers) | | 96:15 | Wrap-up, Michael Pina’s teaser: Cavs as dark horse in the East |

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Wembanyama in Adversity:
  “He just gets up and gives it back and has six of the most spectacular blocks you will ever see… it was just absolutely preposterous… I rewound it and I was just laughing in my office by myself.” — Zach Lowe [14:27]

• On Playoff Experience Debate:
  “I’m not that worried [about their lack of experience] for a couple reasons.” — Zach Lowe [28:25]
  “Victor Wembanyama’s unprecedentedness kind of eclipses the downside of youth.” — Michael Pina [30:32]

• On Rockets' Playoff Prospects:
  “I’m 100% out. Watching that Knicks game… that was the nail in the coffin for me.” — Michael Pina [59:30]

• On Luka Doncic and the Lakers:
  “Something is just not sat right with me this year… It doesn’t feel as unsolvable as Dallas-Luka.” — Zach Lowe [68:26]

• On Zion & The Pelicans:
  “It just feels like something’s off and it's making me think that we're going to get to the end of the season and get Zion trade rumors pretty fast.” — Zach Lowe [77:00]
  “The New Orleans Pelicans have passed him by.” — Michael Pina [79:09]

Takeaways

• The Spurs and Pistons may be outliers in NBA history, potentially contending with almost no playoff experience, thanks to transcendent star power and conference weakness.
• The middle of the West is unsettled and uninspiring, aside from the top two or three teams; deep playoff runs appear unlikely for the Lakers, Rockets, and injury-hit Suns.
• Zion Williamson’s future in New Orleans feels increasingly murky as the franchise reorients.
• Glimmers of hope for tanking and rebuilding teams can be found—if you look hard enough.

For Full Game Nerds

This episode is packed with X’s and O’s: passing chains, defensive coverages, lineup nuances and historical deep dives, all with the classic Zach Lowe enthusiasm and precision. If you love learning how the NBA’s tectonic plates are shifting—both this season and for the years to come—you’ll find this a high-value listen or read.

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