How the Pistons became the NBA’s biggest story for the wrong reasons

Then, as they have for two straight months, the Pistons found a way to throw the game away.

The eyes of the basketball world have been fixed on Detroit for all the wrong reasons. Tuesday’s defeat was Pistons’ 27th in a row, an NBA record for consecutive losses in a single season.

The Pistons come to town Thursday night to face the Celtics, who could condemn Detroit to further historical infamy with a 28th straight defeat, which would match the overall mark set by the 76ers in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

It’s a level of futility that is as surprising as it is unprecedented. No one expected the Pistons to be particularly good this season after a 17-65 finish last year, but there were reasons for optimism.

Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in 2021 who only played 12 games last season after a stress fracture, is back and healthy. Ausar Thompson, the No. 5 pick in June’s draft, already looks like a potential defensive superstar. The Pistons fired coach Dwane Casey and replaced him with 2022 coach of the year Monty Williams.

Detroit’s preseason win total was set at over/under 27 ½ wins — a bad team, certainly, but one expected to finish near the Trail Blazers and Spurs and well ahead of the bottom-dwelling Wizards. Instead, the Pistons would be pleased with double-digit wins. They’re on pace for between five and six this season, which would be the worst in NBA history, including the 2011-12 Bobcats who only played 66 games and went 7-59.

Detroit started the season strong, rebounding from a 1-point loss to the Heat on opening night to notch back-to-back double-digit wins over the Hornets and Bulls. What followed was a ghastly run that started the day before Halloween and has now stretched past Christmas. The 4-11 Patriots have won multiple games since the Pistons last claimed a victory. The Arizona Diamondbacks won a game more recently than the Pistons.

The losing streak has led to plenty of embarrassment in Detroit. The Pistons were beaten so soundly by the Bucks on Dec. 16 that Giannis Antetokounmpo had his children come sit on the bench for the final minutes of a 30-point blowout.

NBA Twitter has made a game out of finding the most absurd thing with a quantity greater than the Pistons’ win total.

For example: The Grizzlies’ Ja Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of the season and has only suited up for four contests, but still has won more games (three) than Detroit. The Warriors’ Draymond Green has played just 15 games this season thanks to various suspensions, but has still been ejected more times (also three) this season than the Pistons have wins. And if you want to really reach into the ridiculous, Detroit’s backup center is former No. 2 pick Marvin Bagley III — which means there are more men named Marvin Bagley (three) in his family than there are Pistons victories this season.

Perhaps the internet’s favorite meme surrounding Detroit’s futility comes courtesy of the team’s promotion with Wingstop, the chicken wing chain which offered fans five free boneless wings (with an online purchase) for every Pistons win. Needless to say, the restaurant hasn’t had to dole out any free chicken.

The team decided to lean into the jokes by adding Wingstop’s logo to their final score graphics in recent weeks; it’s been hard not to laugh as the logo has gotten progressively smaller and further away from the score itself. By defeat No. 27, it was tucked away in the bottom corner, a few pixels wide and shrouded in orange.

And so here come the Pistons to TD Garden on Thursday night, the NBA’s most captivating story at the moment when, for them, obscurity would be preferable. A Celtics win would leave Detroit tied for the worst NBA slide ever, one game away from standing alone, and two losses from tying the World War II-era Chicago Cardinals of the NFL for the worst losing streak in the history of the four major North American sports.

Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas admitted on Saturday what plenty were thinking: Nobody wants to be the team the Pistons finally beat.

“Obviously, everybody knows what’s going on,” Thomas said with a bit of a nervous chuckle. “It’s not a hidden secret. Obviously, you don’t want to be that team.”

Thursday night is a massive mismatch on paper, with the NBA’s best team facing off against one of the worst the league has ever seen. But there will be some pressure — and plenty of eyes — on the Celtics, as they try not to become a footnote on the wrong side of history.

Amin Touri can be reached at [email protected].