Cade Cunningham, Pistons know future bright even after defeat
DETROIT — Cade Cunningham couldn’t shake the immediate feeling of “disappointment” after Thursday night’s series-ending Game 6 playoff loss to the New York Knicks.
However, after enduring a 14-68 season in 2023-24, the Detroit Pistons star, and the organization as a whole, found solace after completing a 44-win turnaround, one of the greatest in league history.
“We felt good about this series,” said Cunningham, who finished with 23 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in the 116-113 loss. “So to not pull it out hurts, but that feeling will stick with us throughout the summer in our workouts, conversations and everything.
“We will be back and better.”
Detroit made this first-round playoff series competitive before falling short, as Jalen Brunson‘s game-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left Thursday night sealed things for New York. His crossover dribble between his legs created space against Pistons guard Ausar Thompson and allowed him to get a clean look for the shot. He then blew a kiss to quiet the merciless crowd at Little Caesars Arena, which booed him all series.
Thompson said he’ll learn from the experience, but like the Pistons, he certainly left his mark on the series, even in defeat.
“That dude was tough to play against. He’s big time,” Brunson said of Thompson. “And I told him straight to his face after the series, he made me work. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
In the second quarter, the Pistons trailed by as many as 15 points before clawing back to take a 61-59 halftime lead after a 3-point buzzer-beater by Malik Beasley. During the fourth quarter, the Pistons turned an 11-point deficit into a seven-point edge with a 20-2 run but couldn’t close out the Knicks, who responded with an 11-1 run to close the game.
The Pistons now have lost 10 straight home playoff games, the longest streak in NBA postseason history. However, they felt there was a lot to take away from their first playoff series since 2018-19.
“Nobody believed in us. It was Detroit versus everybody, literally,” said Beasley, who posted 18 points off six 3-pointers. “Even through the playoffs, we continued to fight for each other and have each other’s back and we lived with the results. Like I said, it sucks, but I think we gave ourselves a chance every game and we just didn’t pull through.”
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he felt being part of this group gave him a “renewed sense of purpose in this profession” as he watched it revitalize the fanbase in the process.
“It’s great experience,” he said. “You don’t get playoff experience until you get playoff experience, but I thought the guys did a tremendous job of learning from moment-to-moment, game-to-game and trying to figure out how you can have an impact on winning.”
Overall, Cunningham put together an impressive playoff debut. He joined Luka Doncic (2020) and Oscar Robertson (1962) as the only players to average 25 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in their first career playoff series in NBA history, per ESPN Research.
He said he was most proud of the jump he made in leading the team as a facilitator and teammate.
“We proved to ourselves that what we have in the room works and can be very successful in the NBA,” he said. “I think at the same time, we proved that to the rest of the league as well that when they come play Detroit, it’s gonna be a dogfight and you’re gonna have to come play the whole 48 and if you get up early on, we’re gonna find our way back into the game and give ourselves a shot to win every night. So I think that’s the thing that the whole league has taken notice, too, and just the belief in the locker room has grown a ton.”
Pistons owner Tom Gores held an impromptu news conference ahead of Game 6, and while he said he anticipated this year’s team would do well, he acknowledged he didn’t think it would do this well.
As he looks forward, the future looks bright in Detroit with a strong foundation intact.
“How they’ve been able to get through adversity is so impressive. I don’t get inspired by a lot, I’m really inspired by them,” Gores said. “They have excited the city. I’ve done everything I could for this city. We buy hospitals, We try to make sure kids are OK. We do all the things that we do. I’ve never got the city that excited before this team showed up and they’re just showing it on the floor.
“I’m sure a lot of people still are not gonna predict us to get anywhere, but we’re here.”
Source: espn.com