In December 2023, Pistons owner Tom Gores held an impromptu news conference to address a frustrated Detroit fan base. “We do have a plan,” Gores insisted, though anyone listening would be justified to be skeptical. The Pistons were 2–26 at the time, at the tail end of a historic 28-game losing streak and barreling toward a fifth straight sub-24-win season. “It’s not going well,” Gores said. “We have to figure out how to right the ship.”
Two years later, the Pistons have righted the ship. And strapped a jet engine to it. Detroit is 41–13 after Thursday night’s win over New York. The Pistons have the NBA’s best record—not the conference, the NBA—and the franchise’s best winning percentage since the 2005–06 season. Not bad for a team just two years removed from a 14-win season.
