The Deep and Miserable Abyss of the Detroit Pistons

From championship contenders to historical cellar dwellers, the Detroit Pistons’ descent from grace is a cautionary tale of miscalculated moves, squandered talent, and a broken organizational culture

I moved to the Detroit area in the summer of 2005. When I arrived the Detroit Pistons had just beat the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and were headed to their second consecutive NBA Finals appearance. For people in my generation, the Pistons were a gold standard of NBA success. From 1987–2008 the team only missed the playoffs 5 times. In fact, the Pistons rank 4th in Conference Finals appearances behind only the Celtics, Lakers, and Spurs. In other words, the Pistons are right there with teams that are associated with the word dynasty.

Since 2010, the franchise has hit hard times. The team has only made the playoffs twice and has not won a playoff game in that span, let alone a playoff series. The Pistons have only won 36% of their games since then, which is the worst in the league. As of this writing, the Pistons have lost 23 games in a row this season and are heading towards surpassing the infamous 2016 “Trust the Process” 76ers who lost 26 games in a row. Beyond that, there doesn’t seem to be much hope that things will get better in Detroit, which is a true shame for one of the NBA’s most storied franchises.