TORONTO — 365 days after completing with the worst report within the NBA, the Detroit Pistons are going to the playoffs for the primary time since 2018-19.
The Pistons punched their postseason price tag with a 117-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night time.
No NBA staff has long gone from a worse report than Detroit’s 14 wins final season to incomes a playoff berth the next yr.
“It is a giant deal,” first-year Pistons trainer J.B. Bickerstaff mentioned. “We generally do not take time to replicate on the place we’re, however this is a chance for this crew to replicate on the place it’s, the place it is come from and what it is been ready to perform in combination. To show it round the best way they have got and put themselves on this place to play within the postseason, it is a giant deal.”
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Detroit’s Jalen Duren, who had 21 issues and 18 rebounds Friday, mentioned it felt just right to succeed in the playoffs after now not successful greater than 17 video games in both of his first two NBA seasons. Detroit is 43-34 with 5 video games closing.
“Other folks doubted us,” Duren mentioned. “They did not imagine. They idea it might take longer for us to show this factor round, however we are right here.
“We aren’t completed but. We are going to take a second to revel in what we have now achieved, however it is only milestones. The true objective, clearly, is to deliver championships again to our town.”
Pistons guard Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 23 issues in Friday’s 117-105 victory over the Raptors to wrap up their first playoff berth since 2018-19. Dan Hamilton/Imagn Pictures
The Pistons completed 8th within the Jap Convention and had been swept by means of the Milwaukee Greenbacks within the first around of the 2019 playoffs. Sooner than that, Detroit’s earlier two playoff appearances had been additionally eighth-place finishes and first-round sweeps, each to Cleveland, in 2016 and 2009.
Detroit hasn’t gained a playoff sequence since completing 2d within the East in 2007-08, successful sequence over Philadelphia and Orlando earlier than dropping to Boston within the convention finals.
Duren mentioned the Pistons would possibly not be glad with achieving the playoffs.
“We are satisfied, however everyone’s mindset is that this is not the championship,” Duren mentioned. “We’ve not completed the rest but.”
