Cade Cunningham met the moment for the Pistons in Game 1 with a playoff career high.
His teammates need to step up Wednesday night if Detroit plans to even the series:
“We feel we are the better team. They got away with Game 1, and now we bounce back.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/721...
Some pregame reading on Cade Cunningham, Jarrett Jack and how their bond helped spark the Pistons’ remarkable turnaround:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...
After the Pistons’ 14-win season, Cade Cunningham had FOMO watching the playoffs. He texted someone he knew would understand.
I spoke with them both for an exclusive on how that text sparked Detroit’s two-year turnaround:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...
More on Cade Cunningham and Luka Dončić now being eligible for end-of-season awards, with @danwoikesports.bsky.social and @samamick.bsky.social:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...
After notching 60 wins and cementing themselves as the best team in the East, the Pistons are focused on postseason success:
“Playoffs are on the mind. It’s been a great regular season. Now it’s time for the real fun.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...
Appreciate you following along!
I’ll be doing majority of my posting about the Pistons’ regular-season finale today on our @theathletic.com live blog. Tap in here:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv...
After outclassing the Hornets in the fourth, the Pistons have their sights set on 60 wins.
They’d be the third team in franchise history to reach those heights, and “it would mean the world.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/718...
Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart fit right back into the Pistons’ lineup in last night’s win.
They both looked well rested, and Cunningham spoke about his time away. Here’s more on their return and what to expect moving forward:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/718...
With Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart back tonight, here’s more on what their return means for the Pistons’ playoff outlook:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/717...
The Pistons have been No. 1 in the East since Nov. 7, and last night clinched the first seed for the first time since 2007.
Doing it without Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart further underscores how impressive their two-year turnaround has been:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/717...
The Pistons have a real shot at notching 60 wins for only the third time in franchise history.
Read more from @hunterpatterson.bsky.social:
The Pistons’ confidence and cohesion continue to grow as they approach the playoffs.
They just keep finding ways to win despite injuries, building belief they’ll “hit the ground running” once everyone is healthy:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...
Cade Cunningham’s re-evaluation date will make him ineligible for end-of-season awards.
Here’s more:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...
Down four starters, it took OT and a 47-point performance from SGA to put the Pistons away.
It was one of their gutsiest performances yet.
“We go out there and fight every night; that’s our identity.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...
J.B. Bickerstaff has emphasized all season how important it is for the Pistons to peak at the perfect time. They’re doing exactly that.
Detroit plans to “stick to the script” as the postseason approaches, with a shot at 60 wins:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/715...
Daniss Jenkins’ confidence never wavers.
His teammates first took notice during an offseason camp in San Diego last summer.
More on how that confidence fueled Jenkins from a two-way contract to a career night:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/714...
With Cade Cunningham out at least two weeks and Isaiah Stewart nursing a left calf strain, the Pistons’ bench becomes even more valuable.
Here’s why J.B. Bickerstaff believes Detroit’s depth can be a “weapon” moving forward:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/712...
Got together with @byjayking.bsky.social and @hunterpatterson.bsky.social to talk about how the Cade Cunningham news impacts — or if it does at all — the East playoff race.
We also predict the top-8 seeds (people of Toronto, you know I love you, but I’m sorry):
www.nytimes.com/athletic/713...
League sources confirm Cade Cunningham has a collapsed lung and is undergoing testing to determine how long he’ll be sidelined:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/713...
The Spurs’ game plan against the Pistons was clear: neutralize Cade Cunningham.
They have a unique group of defenders who were able to do so. More on how San Antonio went about it, and what Detroit can learn from the losses heading into the postseason:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/709...
I sat down with Cade Cunningham for an exclusive on the Pistons’ ascension, how he stays grounded and why he isn’t satisfied.
“What’s the point of coming all the way up to the top if you ain’t going to do something with it?”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/708...
Jalen Duren is in the midst of the highest-scoring four-game stretch of his career. This is who the Pistons need him to be consistently.
“It’s special, man. It’s everything we talked about, everything we knew he was capable of.”
On Duren’s development:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/707...
The Pistons go as Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren go. But Ausar Thompson raises their floor.
“You know how people have offensive modes where they feel like they’re on fire? I feel like I have defensive modes like that.”
On Thompson’s value to Detroit:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/707...
Doing a Reddit AMA this Thursday from 3-4 ET. Tap in and let’s chop it up about the Pistons!
www.reddit.com/r/DetroitPis...
The Pistons’ inability to defend and shoot the 3 cost them. Factor in Cade Cunningham being contained, and it was a recipe for their 14th loss.
But Detroit is eager to regroup and bounce back.
“We’ve got a week full of smoke — it’s great.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/706...
