Exactly two years ago, again on November 24, the Detroit Pistons suffered their 13th consecutive defeat of the season at home to the Indiana Pacers. And that left 15 more en route to the worst record in NBA history (28). Now, on the same stage and against the same rival, the franchise has just underlined its brilliant rebirth, which brings with it the echoes of the last rings of the city. With a 117-122 away win, the team led by Cade Cunningham equaled the team’s best winning streak (13), a feat that puts them on par with the Bad boys of 1990 and the Go to work 2004 Pistons, both teams ended up winning the championship.
“It means a lot, we come from a long way away, working hard. It’s a beautiful record, even if we have to continue to accumulate victories”, commented Cunningham, leader of the group, immediately after finishing a very significant match. He was there when they finished with 14 wins and 68 losses two years ago. And now they lead the Eastern Conference with 15 wins and only two losses. “We play for the Detroit Pistons, a historic franchise. Being able to write history here, and so on, is something very special,” said the 24-year-old American point guard, number one in the 2021 draft.
Detroit had been waiting for this moment for more than 20 years and penance in the Motown‘ became so prolonged that along the way they even broke the record for consecutive losses in the playoffs (15). It was the same group led by Cunningham that tore down that wall last year, the first green shoots that are now a forest. The big moment and the new identity of the team coached by JB Bickerstaff led to a nickname on par with the best times of the franchise. “We have a gang of nasty dogs,” commented the trainer just a week ago. THE Bad dogs in English. The concept caught on.
“There’s something raw about them, and that’s what makes our group fun. They like it when it gets dense and nasty and ugly. They thrive there. We like to take our rivals to that place, drive them out of their minds and see how they react,” developed the coach trying to define the identity of his students. Having always been a championship team in the past, the Pistons are once again an eminently defensive team. They are the second best defense in the NBA – behind only the unreachable Oklahoma City Thunder, current champions with a record of 17-1 – and the third team with the most blocks (6) and steals (10.2) on average in the entire league. Also the one who recovers the most divided balls (6.2) and has achieved victories in close matches (10).
The driving force behind it all is, without a doubt, Cunningham, a superstar in the making. “He shows up every night and does what is necessary for the team to win. Sometimes he doesn’t take a single shot in the first quarter, sometimes he starts in the second. But you can always count on him in the final period,” praises Isiah Thomas, two-time NBA champion with Bad boys and member of the Hall of Fame. “It reminds me of when Nikola Jokic started raising his level. Great players find a way to beat you by making their teammates better, and that’s where Cade is right now,” adds the Detroit legend, who also cites Magic Johnson’s style when referring to his former team’s beacon. The boy from Arlington averaged 27.1 points, 6 rebounds and 9.6 assists this season on 44.4% shooting from the field.
His request is capital, and that’s why he didn’t smile last night after the aforementioned victory. “We don’t think about the record, but about giving the best of ourselves, and tonight we didn’t give it, so I’m not happy about that,” said the point guard, author of 24 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, including the hook under the basket in the final minute that scared the Pacers’ comeback attempt in the final. Last year’s finalists, without star Tyrese Haliburton, accumulated 15 defeats compared to just two victories. “We have to be more greedy. In the third and final quarter we lowered our defensive guard and I insist on this point: our defense is our identity. We can never be satisfied, this must be our mentality”, underlined Bickerstaff.
To surround Cunningham, Detroit has a good mix of youth and veterans. The starting center stands out, Jalen Duren, a double-double machine averaging 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds in 2025. At 22 years old, he forms a devastating tandem to block and continue with the point guard, the touchstone of an offensive scheme that needs shooting a bit. Duncan Robinson, a 31-year-old veteran forward and renowned three-point shooter, is the only one who plays that position with guarantees. Ausar Thompson, 22-year-old shooting guard and number five in the 2023 draft, completes the perimeter, while Tobias Harris supported the quintet during the loss of Jaden Ivey, number five in the 2022 draft. From the bench stands the contribution of Isaiah Stewart, one of the best defenders on the field this season.
Rivals also see the similarities between the Bad dogs and the best teams in franchise history. “This equipment was built similar to the Bad boys and the Pistons of my time. They are physical, tough, deep. They are a reflection of the city’s personality and are very well trained. “They’re making it clear that they’re very serious,” said Rick Carlisle, Indiana’s coach and former Detroit coach the season before their last title in 2004. The curse has been broken once and for all, and he still has a bitter taste in his mouth from the first-round elimination to the Knicks playoffs last year, they will try to put the finishing touch on their wonderful winning streak this Wednesday against the Celtics, one of their historic rivals during that late 1990s when Thomas, Dumars, Rodman, Laimbeer and company threw a party to which no one invited them.
“From the day I arrived I realized that no one was satisfied with what happened last year. It’s a fun, but easy challenge with this group. Everyone has a lot of ambition, everyone wants more,” says Robinson, one of the summer recruits. In Detroit, excitement is running high after decades of dark clouds.
