'We'll be back': Series loss hints of better days ahead for Pistons

DETROIT — Minutes after Jalen Brunson's 3-point field goal led the New York Knicks to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Detroit Pistons walked back to their locker room at Little Caesars Arena in sadness, trying to process what went wrong in the final minutes.

"I felt good about this series, so not pulling it out hurts," Cade Cunningham said. "That feeling will stick with us throughout this summer, in our workouts, and conversations, and everything. We’ll be back."

The Pistons held a seven-point lead with 2:35 left in the fourth quarter but faltered down the stretch. They allowed the Knicks to embark on an 11-1 run. As a result, the Pistons sustained a 116-113 Game 6 loss to New York Thursday night, which ended their season in heartbreak.

However, to lift the spirits in the locker room, Tobias Harris reminded his teammates that despite the disappointment, they had nothing to be distraught about. Although his message was a testament to the Pistons' season as a whole, it was more of an illustration of how close they played the Knicks throughout their six-game series.

"The team is really, really good, and they're young," Brunson said. "Just their growth from last year to this year, the veterans that they added really complement the young guys. Cunningham’s terrific. (Ausar) Thompson is phenomenal. (Jalen) Duren, it's the same thing – his playmaking ability has been huge for them all year, and they have a very bright future."

The Pistons entered their first playoff series in six years as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference and were significant underdogs. The Knicks were the No. 3 seed after winning 51 games, but were heavy favorites due to their experience.

Although the Pistons did not force a decisive Game 7, their six-game elimination does not reflect how closely they competed against New York. If not for a few controversial calls and some missed opportunities, the Pistons might have been preparing for a second-round series against the Boston Celtics instead of getting ready for the offseason.

"We were playing the same brand of basketball; it wasn’t like we were doing anything new," Cunningham said. "It was just little things that got away from us. The ball was not bouncing our way, and then we just did not execute certain details that we wanted to execute.

"I thought it was a great experience for us as a young team. I didn't feel like we were too inexperienced to win that series though."

Since the Pistons' Game 3 loss on April 24, Detroit's first-round series against the Knicks marked the first time since 1981 that four consecutive games were decided by three points or less. That series concluded when the Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Pistons lost Game 1 of the series by nine points, but in the three losses after that, they fell short by six total points (118-116, 94-93 and 116-113).

Detroit's lack of experience played a critical role in its shortcomings, but the Pistons discovered alternative ways to make it insignificant at times.

"There were some new experiences that they had not gone through yet, but there were things that they understood in the moment and made the adjustments," coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "It was a great experience. I thought the guys did a tremendous job of learning from moment to moment while trying to figure out how to impact winning."

Every player who took the court was vital in keeping the Pistons competitive against the Knicks. However, no one stood out more than Cunningham. In his first postseason series at just 23 years old, Cunningham showcased the skills that have him on the brink of his first All-NBA selection, averaging 25 points on 42.6% shooting, to go along with 8.7 assists and 8.3 rebounds.

However, despite his performance, Cunningham faced a handful of difficult moments, including missing a pair of game-winning baskets in Games 4 and 6, while averaging a series-high 5.3 turnovers per game.

"The physicality (of playoff basketball) is up," Cunningham said. "Every possession means a lot more in the postseason than in the regular season. You have to do everything stronger and faster, and a little more together."

When Harris spoke to break the silence in the locker room, his words reminded the team that the Pistons' 77th season as a franchise was a testament to how they became one of the best stories of the NBA season.

They finished the year with a record of 44-38, successfully ending their postseason drought. The Pistons' achievements marked one of the most impressive single-season turnarounds in league history, as they became the first team ever to triple their win total from the previous year.

The Pistons will eventually celebrate their season of revival. However, the outcome of their six-game series against the Knicks has led to disappointment and sadness for now.

"Tobias did an amazing job bringing us together," Malik Beasley said. "He came in and said, 'Look man, it sucks, but we had a hell of a year.' Nobody believed in us. It was 'Detroit vs. Everybody,' literally. Even through the playoffs, we continued to fight for each other and have each other's backs, and we lived with the result. Like I said, it sucks, but I think we gave ourselves a chance every game, and we just didn’t pull through."

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