How the worst team in NBA history became the best in the East in just two years

Life can flip fast. One day you are standing on top of a mountain that took years to climb, then one slip sends you right back to the bottom. Sometimes you have to start from scratch. But there are also moments that launch you upward, sudden boosts that turn distant dreams into reality. They are rare, but unforgettable and worth celebrating.

That is the story of the Detroit Pistons. After years of sputtering, they have roared out of the gate this season like an engine finally running on full fuel. They have completely transformed themselves in just two years.

The Pistons’ lowest point before the climb

“We are not a 2-26 team. Impossible.” Cade Cunningham said that in December 2023 after the Pistons lost their 25th straight game, a skid that eventually hit 28. Two years later, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Detroit has flipped its fortunes. The Pistons are first in the East at 15-3, and their historic win streak ended only after a narrow loss in Boston.

Detroit rolled off 13 straight wins, a full month without losing since falling to the Cavaliers on Oct. 27. The run ties the franchise record set in 1990 and 2004, two seasons that ended with NBA championships. It is a complete reversal for a team that finished 14-68 in 2023-24.

The biggest force behind the turnaround is Cunningham himself. In his fifth season, the point guard is playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 27.1 points and 9.6 assists per game and climbing steadily since entering the league.

Echoes of the Pistons past

This is Detroit’s best start in nearly 20 years. The last time the Pistons led the conference after 15 games was 2006-07, the third season after their most recent title. That was also a year they reached the Eastern Conference finals.

Winning is not new in Detroit. In 1989 and 1990, the Bad Boys delivered back-to-back titles with a gritty, physical style that defined the era. Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer pushed opponents to the limit and thrived in one of the most competitive periods in NBA history.

Fifteen years later, a new group with a similar identity brought another championship home in 2004 with Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Ben Wallace.

Detroit’s familiar new identity

“This season is not about winning MVP. The goal is winning the Finals. Team success is the priority,” Cunningham said recently. Optimism is back in Detroit.

The strong start is the result of collective work shaped by head coach J. B. Bickerstaff. Beyond Cunningham’s leap, the Pistons are one of the most balanced teams in the league. Nine different players have scored at least 20 points in a game this season, the most of any team.

Detroit has thrived through adversity. Even with multiple injuries, the Pistons have kept winning. Without Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson or Tobias Harris, they still pulled out tough games against teams like the Bulls and 76ers. Cade is the leader, but the floor does not collapse when he sits. That is the line between a contender and a true winner.

A blueprint that keeps working

Detroit is leaning again on the formula that brought titles in the past. The structure has two parts. At the top is the lead guard with elite talent who sets the tone, the role once held by Thomas and Billups and now by Cunningham. Surrounding him is a hard nosed group willing to sacrifice everything on the court. The Bad Boys earned their nickname for a reason. They were a nightmare to play against.

That hard edge has returned with players like Duren, Thompson and Isaiah Stewart, who anchor the team with toughness.

Dennis Jenkins gives Detroit surprise spark

One of the biggest surprises of the season is Dennis Jenkins. Signed to a two way contract that allows him only 50 NBA games this year, the guard began the season with almost no playing time. Injuries opened a door, and he made the most of it. Over a five game stretch with several starters out, Jenkins averaged 20 points in 34 minutes. It was an introduction that could not have gone better and added yet another weapon to a team with growing ambition.

On ESPN, Kendrick Perkins said the Pistons have strong interest in Anthony Davis. There is no confirmation the rumors are real, but one thing is clear. Detroit believes it can contend for a championship this season. And that belief alone is a thrill.

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