This year, the Pistons finally won a playoff game for the first time in 17 long years. The only other time in these 17 years that they made the playoffs was in 2019, when the Milwaukee Bucks swept them in four games. Their path to becoming the sixth seed in the playoffs was nothing short of amazing.
Last year, midway through the season, they had the worst record in NBA history through 30 games, which was 2-28. They also finished this season with the worst record in the NBA, which was 14-68. The organization was getting laughed at, the fans were not showing up to games and the whole team looked defeated even before every game started. However, in the offseason, the Pistons made some quality trades to get Malik Beasley, a sharp three-point shooter. He shot an impressive 42% during the 2024-2025 season. We also received Tobias Harris from the 76ers. He is a good defender, mid-range shooter and has a lot of experience in the playoffs. Another factor that led to the Pistons’ success this season was the number of players who made significant improvements. Ausar Thompson, a second-year small forward, developed as an elite defender in the league and averaged two more points per game than last year. Cade Cunningham also stepped up and averaged 26.1 points per game, significantly higher than his 22-point average from last year. He also averaged two more rebounds and two more assists per game… and became an all-star.
In the first half of the 2025 season, the Pistons fluctuated around a .500 record. This means they were winning about the same amount as they were losing. That all changed around mid-February. In this time, they won nine games out of their last ten and moved from the tenth seed in the East, which was barely a play-in spot all the way to the sixth seed in the East. I had the chance to go to a game in late March, and the atmosphere was electric. Unlike last year during this time, the game was fully sold out. It was incredible to see the whole crowd so “into” the game, shouting and celebrating after every play and yelling at the referees after each missed call. Even though we lost to the Thunder, who are the best team in the league, the game was close and super fun to watch.
We continued strong through March and April and finished out the regular season with a 44-38 record, which was 6th in the East. In the playoffs, we had to play the three-seeded Knicks, which was not a bad matchup. We have many good defensive guys like Jalen Duran and Thompson. It would have been better if we had Isiah Stewart’s defensive skills and energy, but he unfortunately suffered from a nagging knee injury.
In game one, the Pistons were in control for the majority of the time, and obtained a 98-90 lead with nine minutes left in the 4th quarter. After that… we fell apart. The Knicks ended the game on a 31-11 run, beating us 123-112.
In game two, we had to go back to the garden in New York, and it was a battle. Both teams were super physical all throughout the game, making it an amazing one to watch. There were many heated moments and arguments throughout the game— some even said it had the vibe of an 1980 classic because of the defensive plays and the physicality on both ends. With some great stops to end the game, we ended up winning 100-94, which was a good sign for the rest of the series.
In game three, we finally got the home court. The story of this game was all the crazy runs both teams went on. It was close the whole way, but late in the fourth, Jalen Brunson (the Knicks’ leading scorer) could not miss. We made a few big plays in the last couple of minutes, but it wasn’t enough to come back, so we lost 116-114.
Game four was nothing short of a tragedy. It was another very physical and defensive game for the first three quarters. In the 4th quarter, it was an offensive juggernaut, and both teams could not miss. For every difficult shot the Pistons would make, the Knicks would answer right back. Late in the 4th, Tim Hardaway and Karl-Anthony Towns traded clutch shot after clutch shot. The game unfortunately ended on a terrible missed foul call by the referee on a three-point shot by Hardaway, and we lost by two points.
In game five, however, we came back with fire and won the revenge game by three points. Cunningham played great on both ends, and we were ready to tie the series back in Detroit for game six.
In game six, the Pistons were down for more of the game. With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, we were down by 12 points. After that, we went on a 23-4 run and took a seven point lead with two minutes to go. I thought at this point we had won. My friend and I were already celebrating, but after this point we missed every shot and lost the game on a clutch three by Brunson. It was disappointing to see us lose like that. However, the Knicks are a very good team, and the fact that we had such a good season and fought hard to the end made me feel much better. All in all, the Pistons had a great season and will be back next year for more.
