With a tough win over the New York Knicks on the road, the Detroit Pistons ended their 15-year postseason losing streak. The youthful team tied the series and raised the possibility of an upset as the series moves to Detroit, led by Cade Cunningham’s special 33-point effort
At Madison Square Garden on Monday night, Detroit Pistons basketball players achieved their first playoff victory since 2008.
This 100-94 win against the New York Knicks brought an end to the Detroit Pistons’ 15-game playoff losing run yet established major long-term potential for this developing roster. During Game 1, the Pistons demonstrated improving maturity and determination after surrendering their lead before winning the game that evened the series.
“We did what we were supposed to do,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters after the game. “To win a game, on the road, to get home court is what we came here for. We approached it with a business-like mentality and learned from the fourth quarter the other night, but we just did what we were supposed to do.”
Since May 26, 2008 — Detroit’s last playoff victory, the NBA has seen a lot. The Boston Celtics, for instance, have racked up 126 playoff wins. Apple released the iPhone 3G just after that last Pistons win. So yeah, it’s been a minute.
But now, Detroit’s rebuild seems to be ahead of schedule. This season alone, the team added 30 wins to last year’s total — the sixth-best improvement in NBA history. Leading the charge is 23-year-old All-Star Cade Cunningham, who delivered a superstar performance Monday with 33 points and 12 rebounds, 11 of them on the defensive end.
“We wanted to send a message,” forward Tobias Harris said after the game. “We were disappointed after Game 1 with what happened there, so we wanted to come out tonight and figure out ways that we could be better. … Our message was for us, internally, to show that we could close. Tonight was a great night for that. That type of feeling and that type of energy — we have a team that’s new and new to this feeling. We needed to understand how to close out a game in the playoffs.”
The Pistons also made smart adjustments. They asked Cunningham to push the tempo in transition, which helped him get to the line 12 times. Bickerstaff stayed tight-lipped about the change, simply saying, “We saw something” on film.
“He’s elite,” Bickerstaff said. “He is a superstar, and he played the game tonight as a superstar. He did what he needed to do to help his team win. He understood how aggressive he needed to be on the offensive end of the floor. So he was going to go out and be aggressive.” He also understood how important finishing possessions was. He had 11 defensive rebounds; that’s knowing and understanding how to manipulate the game and make winning plays, whatever your team needs in the moment.”
On defense, Detroit moved Jalen Duren to guard Josh Hart, limiting his energy plays on the glass. Harris took over defending Karl-Anthony Towns, who was held to 10 points and didn’t score in the second half.
The Knicks, of course, won’t back down. Game 3 is set for Thursday in Detroit, and they’ll bring their adjustments. But for now, it’s the Pistons with momentum — and a city ready to welcome its team back home.
