A lot can change in a year’s time, and one NBA team is feeling that change, in a good way. The Detroit Pistons are the dream team right now, as the franchise has gone from the bottom of the NBA in the 2023-24 season to one of the stronger teams heading into the final stretch of the regular season in 2024-25.
Following the Detroit Pistons’ Monday, February 24, game against the L.A. Clippers, which the Pistons won 106-97, the team has notched an awesome franchise record.
Detroit Pistons Are On Fire
The Detroit Pistons are on a seven-game winning streak, following their win against the Clippers. It’s actually the franchise’s longest winning streak in 10 years. The last time they had a seven-game run was when Stan Van Gundy was coaching for the 2014-15 season. That streak happened from December 26 through January 7.
Also, heading into Tuesday’s matchups, the Pistons and the Cavaliers are the only teams in the NBA with seven-game winning streaks, which makes them stand out.
Going into Tuesday’s games, the Pistons are also in sixth place in Eastern Conference standings. They’re one game behind the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks, who are tied for fourth place. If they get into the four teams in the conference, they’ll host a first-round playoff series in Detroit.
Cade Cunningham Makes NBA History
Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham notched 38 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, three blocks and seven successful 3-pointers during Sunday’s game against the Hawks, making him the first player in the history of the NBA have that many assists, rebounds, blocks and successful 3’s in a single matchup. He’s proven himself to be a solid leader for this Pistons squad.
Cunningham doesn’t appear to be letting the success get to his head, though. Speaking to press after Monday’s game, he expressed cautious optimism.
“Just not getting ahead of ourselves, staying, you know, with the one game at a time mindset,” Cunningham commented postgame. “I think we still feel like we have to earn the league’s respect, and we do still have to earn the league’s respect.”
He added, “So, every night, you have to come with it, you have to play with that grit, you have to play with that sense of urgency.”
Cunningham also said that he believes the team has gotten better at keeping that high-octane performance level for each game.
“That’s something I think we’ve gotten better and better at as the season’s gone on is maintaining that sense of urgency each game, or finding it within the game,” Cunningham said. “And so, you know, that’s the main reason why we’ve been able to stay afloat.”
The industry is taking notice of the Pistons, too. NBA expert and analyst Brad Botkin states in a February 25 feature that Cunningham is making an All-NBA case, noting that “it would be almost impossible to keep him off at least the third team.” He also says that Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is a top-three candidate for Coach of the Year, following beginning the season “as a 40-1 long shot.”
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