The top five reasons to still trust the Detroit Pistons this postseason - ESPN

BEFORE THEIR FINAL home game of the regular season, Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren grabbed a microphone to address the crowd at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons were putting the finishing touches on one of the best regular seasons in franchise history: 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, while completing the most dramatic two-year turnaround in NBA history.

From 14 wins two campaigns ago to 60 wins in 2025-26, the Pistons' 46-win improvement is the largest jump in two seasons in NBA history, according to ESPN Research.

Standing in the middle of the court, Duren called out to the crowd. «Deeeee-troit basket-ball,» mimicking the team's legendary PA announcer, John Mason. Duren thanked the fans for their support during the season and also offered a reminder.

«We're not done yet,» he said. «We've got a long way to go.»

The Pistons claimed the No. 1 seed on Nov. 7 and have sat atop the Eastern Conference standings every day since. And yet they entered the playoffs as an underdog in the conference they dominated. According to DraftKings, the Pistons began the playoffs with the fourth-best odds to win the Eastern Conference (+500), behind the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. «We think we could win it all,» Pistons forward Ausar Thompson told ESPN. «We don't think about what other people say.

»I feel like we could beat anybody."

Detroit's playoff run got off to a rocky start in Game 1, though, as it fell 112-101 on Sunday to the No. 8-seeded Orlando Magic in a game the Pistons never led.

It was not only the Pistons' 11th straight home playoff loss, extending the longest streak in NBA history, but it provided fuel to a narrative: that this long-irrelevant franchise, which had made