The Pistons' season is a tale of two extremes. First, there's the impeccable regular season where Detroit ran the Eastern Conference from start to finish. The young group finished 60–22, the third-best record in franchise history. That success meant that expectations were put on Detroit for the first time in nearly two decades, and the Pistons nearly collapsed in the playoffs if it weren’t for an incredible 3–1 comeback against the No. 8 seed Magic in the first round.
From that point, the Pistons rattled off five wins in a row. They eliminated the Magic and got out to a 2–0 lead on the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. It looked like the bad juju had washed away, but Cleveland continued its home dominance over the playoffs and won three straight: Two in Cleveland and then Game 5 in Detroit, which was the first road playoff win this year for the Cavs. Detroit faced elimination once again and played like it had nothing to lose once again with a big win in Game 6 to force a decider back home. Unfortunately for the Pistons, that’s when the heroics in elimination games ran out. With a trip to the Eastern Conference finals at stake, Cleveland blew out Detroit at Little Caesars Arena, which marked a gutting end to an incredible season, leaving what felt like plenty more on the table.
