The Detroit Pistons rebuild may officially be over. The young up-and-comers have officially won eight straight games and are tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers as the hottest team in the NBA. The Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons game on Wednesday night was a huge indicator that perhaps the Pistons need to be taken seriously in the Eastern Conference as a potentially dangerous playoff opponent.
Playoff Teams Should Be Worried About The Pistons
Pistons Season So Far
The Pistons are finally starting to play like a real NBA team. Over the last five seasons, they have been one of the worst franchises in the NBA, but things may finally be starting to turn around. The Pistons are currently 33-26 and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference standings. It is looking like not only will they make the playoffs, but they may not even need to earn their spot through a play-in tournament win. For a team that hasn’t won more than 23 regular season games in five years, this is a huge accomplishment.
The Pistons are just solid overall. They are 13th in offensive efficiency and 11th in defensive efficiency . Cade Cunningham is showing that he could be a superstar worth building around. Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren are looking like solid young building blocks, and they’ve been winning all these games without their second-leading scorer, Jaden Ivey .
The Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons Game
PISTONS BEAT THE CELTICS AND HAVE THEIR 8TH STRAIGHT W FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2008
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— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 27, 2025
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Not only was the Pistons’ win against the Celtics on Wednesday night a potential showing that the Pistons could be a tough playoff out, but it was a franchise accomplishment as well. This eight-game winning streak is their longest since 2008. That is quite a drought.
They also snapped a losing streak against the Celtics. They had lost 12 straight to Boston, making this win all the sweeter. Cunningham and Malik Beasley led the Pistons on the offensive end for the win, but the Pistons defense holding Boston to only 97 points was key. Cunningham had 21 points and 11 assists while Beasley dropped 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The Pistons-Celtics game was just the latest example of how good the Pistons really are.
Can the Pistons Win in the Playoffs?
Games like Wednesday Night have to make you start to think. Can the Pistons make some noise in the playoffs this season? They may have Ivey back by then, and they are already showing they can beat any team on any given night. Winning in the playoffs, however, is a much more difficult feat.
One thing the Pistons have going for them is they have nothing to lose. They are ahead of schedule, and right now, their first-round playoff matchup would be with the New York Knicks, a team that had sky-high expectations. Still, the top three teams in the East are going to be very difficult to beat.
The Pistons could win a playoff series however if they can climb up to the fourth or fifth seed. Right now those spots are inhabited by the Pacers and Bucks, two teams with many more flaws than the top three seeds. Regardless of what happens this Celtics vs Pistons game shows that the Pistons aren’t to be underestimated. Time will tell if that applies to the playoffs as well.
Photo credit: © Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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