The Detroit Pistons started off this NBA season on fire, sparking talk about their chances of hitting the 1995- 96 Chicago Bulls record of 72 wins. Things quieted down for a few weeks as the Pistons seemed to have come back to earth, winning just 5 of 9 before the All Start break.

Now that the Pistons have started the second-half run with wins over Atlanta, Indiana, Chicago and Cleveland, they are now just 24 wins from hitting the magic number of 70.

But is 70 really as impressive as it sounds?

This is not your daddy’s NBA, folks. The argument has already been made - and often - but the NBA is now a diluted mess, filled with high school kids, aging veterans and a handful of real stars. Hitting 70 wins in today’s NBA is the equivalent of hitting 60 just 15-20 years ago - it happened fairly often.

Think about the dominant teams of the late 80s and early 90s. The “Showtime” Lakers, Bird’s Celtics, the up-and-coming Bad Boy Pistons, and the early version of Jordan’s Bulls.

As talented and focused as the current Pistons team is, I don’t think they get anywhere near 70 wins in 1988 - when the NBA was arguably at it’s most competitive. In 1988, nine of the NBA’s 25 teams finished below .500. The League’s best record belonged to the Pistons, at 63-19. There were seven teams with at least 50 wins. The All Star team boasted some of the best of all time in Jordan, Magic, Bird, Isiah, Clyde, Kareem and Hakeem.

Fast forward to today. As of right now, 16 of the NBA’s 30 teams are under .500. Only six teams are on track to hit at least 50 wins. The League’s best record will likely belong to the Pistons, who are on track for roughly 68 wins at this point.

And how would some of the worst teams in League history fare in today’s NBA? Do you really think the 9-73 Philadelphia 76ers of ‘72 - 73 would fail to win 15-20 games today? You don’t think they were at least as good as the current incarnation of the Knicks, Bobcats or Trailblazers? You’d have to do some heavy convincing to get me to believe that a team that logged 9 wins against the likes of Kareem (Milwaukee), Havlicek (Boston), Frazier (New York) and Hayes (Baltimore) couldn’t grab 18 wins against players like Matt Bonner (Toronto), Al Jefferson (Boston) and Stephon Marbury (New York).

And what about today’s average teams? How would the 30-26 Nuggets do when put up against some of the classic teams of the late 70s or 80’s? If you think that Earl Boykins and Carmelo Anthony would lead the Nuggets to anything better than a 35-40 win season, you’re kidding yourself. Put the current Nuggets roster up against the 1988 Lakers, and you’ll see what I mean. Shoot, even put them up against the 1988 76ers (who finished 36-46) and you’ll see.

Don’t misunderstand me. Hitting 70 wins would be a great feat for the Pistons, and I’m rooting for them to do it. But before you place them on a “Greatest of All Time” shelf, next to the ‘96 Bulls, ‘88 Lakers, etc., just keep in mind that 70 wins then and 70 wins now, are two very different accomplishments.