The Detroit Pistons have secured a playoff position with a 117-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday. This achievement comes just one year after the team recorded a league-low of 14 wins. Detroit`s resurgence marks one of the most impressive single-season turnarounds in NBA history. They are the first team ever to triple their win count from the preceding season.
Their previous season`s low of 14 wins is now the record for the fewest wins by a team that still made the playoffs the very next year.
Currently, the Pistons are technically ranked as the Eastern Conference`s No. 5 seed. However, this is due to having played one more game than the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Both Detroit and Milwaukee have the same number of losses. Milwaukee would win a tie-breaker based on their 2-0 head-to-head record so far.
Interestingly, the season will conclude with two consecutive games between the Pistons and Bucks. These games will likely determine who gets the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds. It`s unlikely either team will catch the No. 4 Indiana Pacers, who are ahead by three games with only five games remaining and hold the tiebreaker over Detroit.
Jalen Duren, in his third year with the team, expressed his emotions about reaching the playoffs: `It`s hard to describe how I feel right now. It really shows how much effort we’ve put in since the beginning. But we`re not satisfied yet. We`re going to keep pushing, keep improving, and keep building on this.`
Detroit`s recent victory occurred even without their star point guard, Cade Cunningham, who is likely to be an All-NBA player. Cunningham has been absent since March 21 due to a calf injury. Despite his absence, the Pistons have won four out of six games, although three of these wins were against teams like the Pelicans, Spurs, and Raptors who are currently rebuilding.
Notably, during this stretch, they also achieved a 133-122 victory against a full-strength Cleveland Cavaliers team. This win, even if Cunningham had been playing, would have been considered impressive. Without him, it further emphasizes that the Pistons are a serious contender and could potentially win in the first round of the playoffs.
Even if they drop to the No. 6 seed and face the New York Knicks, they are capable of challenging New York, although they would be the underdogs. A 4-5 matchup against Indiana could be very close, especially since Indiana has performed better than Detroit since the All-Star break.
However, the Pistons have been performing strongly for a while now. Since January 1st, they hold the third-best defensive rating and the fifth-best net rating in the NBA. Their offense is also performing well, ranking just outside the top 10. While Cunningham is crucial, the Pistons have a wealth of talented young players and experienced veterans such as Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dennis Schroder.
Any team that wants to defeat the Pistons will have to work hard for it. They play with great intensity and defend aggressively. With Cunningham`s relentless drives creating consistent scoring opportunities, this team displays many characteristics of a playoff contender. They have now secured a top-six spot, proving their capabilities.
Jasper Hawthorne