Pistons secure first division championship in 18 years with victory
DETROIT — After almost twenty years and periods of struggle, the Detroit Pistons have reclaimed the Central Division title.
The Pistons triumphed over the Toronto Raptors 127-116 on Tuesday, completing a significant ascent in the NBA standings and securing their first division championship since the 2007-08 season.
“You take pride in recognizing how challenging it is to achieve these feats in this league,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff remarked following the game. “You take pride in the fact that you have a group of young men who have developed and reached certain milestones.
“It’s part of the journey, and we anticipate more.”
Two years after finishing with a record of 14-68 and tying a league record with 28 consecutive losses, the Pistons now hold a record of 55-21, featuring two All-Stars in Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. With Cunningham out due to a lung injury, Duren scored 31 points on 12-of-13 shooting and contributed nine rebounds against the Raptors.
“He’s incredibly talented,” Bickerstaff stated. “He’s a unique type of big man that you encounter in the NBA. You have space-up bigs and post-up bigs, but when you have someone who can excel in both areas, he’s a challenge for opponents.”
Daniss Jenkins, who began the season on a two-way contract, recorded 21 points and five assists. He is averaging 18.6 points and 6.9 assists since stepping in as the starting point guard for Cunningham.
“We knew we were aiming to achieve something special this year,” he said. “It’s wonderful to reach an accomplishment like this, but our focus is on the playoffs and making an impact there. We’ll celebrate this tonight and return to work tomorrow.”
They have contributed to ending one of the most challenging periods in franchise history.
In 2007-08, the Pistons were still fielding many of the same players who had led them to the 2004 championship and a seven-game Finals defeat to San Antonio the following year. They finished with a record of 59-23 under coach Flip Saunders, then eliminated Philadelphia and Orlando on their path to the last of their six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances.
Unbeknownst to them, they were on the brink of a steep decline.
The subsequent offseason, team president Joe Dumars traded Chauncey Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson and replaced Saunders with Michael Curry.
The Pistons ended the season with a 39-43 record and spent the next decade cycling through eight coaches, resulting in no playoff victories.
This was followed by one of the most difficult five-year spans in NBA history, as the Pistons recorded a 94-290 (.245) record and hit a low point in 2023-24, when they suffered a franchise-record 68 losses.
Last season, Cunningham and Duren guided the Pistons to a 30-win improvement before they were eliminated in six games by the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.
