The Detroit Pistons snapped an embarrassing playoff streak that dated all the way back to the George W. Bush administration.
With their 98-83 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of their first-round Eastern Conference series on Wednesday night, the Pistons officially won their first home playoff game since 2008.
Detroit Pistons Get First Home Playoff Win Since 2008
The fact that the team went 18 years without winning a playoff game in front of their home fans is depressing as it is embarrassing, but hey, that streak is now over thanks to Cade Cunningham and company.
Cunningham led the way for the Pistons in the victory over Orlando with 27 points and 11 assists after tallying 39 points and 4 assists in Detroit’s Game 1 loss. He appears to have responded nicely after missing a chuck of time at the end of the regular season due to a punctured lung.
He got plenty of help, too, as all five Pistons starters scored in double figures in the game. Tobias Harris, specifically, was a major contributor with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
After the game, Cunningham discussed how it felt to lead the Pistons to their first home playoff win in nearly two decades.
“It feels great,” Cunningham said. “One of many for this playoff run, but it was great to get that off our backs. [The fans] brought a lot of energy to us all year, so to get them a win finally at the crib feels good. We’re going to need more energy. It’s a long run for us, so we’ll need more of it.”
The Pistons have had a pretty extended period of futility dating back to ’08, which was the last time they won a playoff series. Prior to the Game 2 victory over Orlando on Wednesday night, Detroit had just two total playoffs victories since 2008. Both of them came in the first round against the New York Knicks last season. With the team now seemingly trending in the right direction, they’re hoping that period of futility is in the rearview.
J.B. Bickerstaff’s Speech Propelled Pistons to Victory in the Second Half
It took a passionate speech from head coach J.B. Bickerstaff for the Pistons to secure their long-awaited home playoff win. After dropping the first game of the series at home and being tied at halftime of the second game, Bickerstaff urged his team to step it up, and they listened.
“He really got on us in the locker room,” Harris said of Bickerstaff. “[Bickerstaff’s message was] there is no more of my bad’s. It’s like they’re out there hustling, getting offensive boards on us. And there’s too many of them for us [to allow] as a group. We know that’s not our standard. … So he was on us. We were able to find that little spark.”
The Pistons let one slip away in the first game of the series, but they responded well in Game 2. They remain the heavy favorites to advance, but they can’t afford to take their foot off of the gas. If they continue to take care of business, fans in Detroit will be treated to more home wins.
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