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DETROIT — The game was over, but less than an hour after the Pistons’ 104–103 win over Boston on Monday, Cade Cunningham shuffled into the postgame interview room looking like a man still feeling it. The All-Star guard—nay, starting All-Star guard, as the NBA revealed earlier in the day—had played 40 grueling minutes, grinding out possessions against Jaylen Brown, chasing the Celtics’ three-point shooters, meeting its guards at the rim. During one fourth-quarter break, a Detroit trainer pressed a hot pack against Cunningham’s ribs. “A 48-minute battle,” Cunningham said. “Both teams really came with it.”
The NBA season just passed its midway point. But this game had a decided playoff vibe. It was the fourth meeting between the top two teams in the East, and any friendliness has long gone. There were no pregame handshakes. No high fives. No daps. Neemias Queta and Jalen Duren grappled before the opening tip. Isaiah Stewart checked in for Detroit with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. Within a minute, he and Brown were slapped with double techs for a shoving match.
“Two really good teams going against each other,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “And I thought the physicality was met.”
Said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff, “You can tell both teams really wanted it. They raised the level of intensity and they were battling. I think it’s a great experience for our guys, and even better to come out with a win.”
The Pistons did come out with a win, and you know what—they have done a lot of that this season. Detroit has 31 wins, trailing just Oklahoma City. The win over the Celtics was the Pistons’ 18th “clutch” victory, an NBA best. They crushed Boston in points in the paint (48 to 32), ran away with the edge in fast break points (20 to three) and held the Celtics’ vaunted three-point shooting attack to 32%.
“Anytime you get an opportunity to play one of the better teams in the league, it tests your metal a little bit,” said Bickerstaff. “It’s how you sharpen your tools. So, I thought tonight was a great opportunity for us.”
So much of this team’s identity has been shaped by Bickerstaff, who two years after being ousted after a successful 4 ½-year stint in Cleveland has reestablished himself as one of the top coaches in the NBA. To beat you, the Pistons beat you, sending waves of physical defenders to grind opponents down. Brown scored 32 points on Monday but needed 28 shots to do it, a ratio Detroit can live with.
“It’s executing a game plan,” Bickerstaff said. “And I thought that’s where for the most part, we did a pretty solid job.”
It was a forgettable shooting night for Cunningham (4 of 17, 16 points), but his game goes so far beyond scoring. He collected 14 assists without a turnover. He added a pair of blocks and a steal. It was Cunningham’s 22nd double-double, fourth most in the NBA. It was his 20th game with 10-plus assists, second only to Nikola Jokić. Once, teams could flummox Cunningham, force him into sloppy turnovers. Now, he dissects defenses like a surgeon.
“He understands all the reads and how teams are going to defend him throughout the game,” Bickerstaff said. “[Boston] played in different coverages tonight and put different guys in different matchups. I thought he did a great job of evaluating what was in front of him, putting his guys in the right spots and making the play to help his teammates.”
Tobias Harris among them. Harris had a team-high 25 points on Monday. He was 11of 20 from the floor and 3 of 8 from three. Detroit’s wealth of young talent is the engine that has powered this Pistons surge. But it’s veterans like Harris who unlocked it. Harris signed a two-year, $52.5 million deal with Detroit in 2024, and has been worth every nickel. When Cunningham was asked about what Harris has meant to the franchise after the game, he paused and said to the reporter, “How long do I have?”
“The way that he carries himself, his professionalism, how he takes care of his body, goes about his work, is an inspiration to all the young guys,” Cunningham said. “We all see that. And to see the success that he’s had and how he continues to go at it like that is impressive. We’re all thankful for it.”
Midway through the season and the message the Pistons have sent is unmistakable: All roads through the Eastern Conference run through Detroit. The Knicks are crumbling, the Cavaliers are a mess and the Raptors, Sixers and Magic can’t be considered credible threats. The Pistons are now 3–1 against the Celtics and while a Jayson Tatum return could change the dynamic, Boston has no answer for Detroit’s physical front line.
Conventional wisdom says the Pistons need more seasoning, that a team two years removed from a 14-win disaster couldn’t possibly be ready for a run to the NBA Finals. Indeed, Detroit’s core is young. Inside the Pistons’ locker room on Monday, Duren carried around an oversized speaker blaring rap music while Javonte Green hunted for a few slices of pizza. So many of this team’s young stars—from Cunningham to Duren, Ausar Thompson to Ron Holland II—are so far from their ceilings. The franchise has built a sustainable winner, one capable of contending for years to come. The future is bright in Detroit. That future, though, could be here.
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