The NBA playoffs begin April 18. Detroit will enter as the Eastern Conference's top seed, having clinched the position with a 116-93 win over Philadelphia on Saturday. The Pistons are 57-21 on the season. [1] Two years ago, they were 14-68, tied for one of the worst records in recent NBA history, and lost 28 consecutive games -- an NBA record.

Cade Cunningham drove the turnaround. The franchise cornerstone who fought back tears during the losing streak has spent two seasons building the team around him into the East's best record. Jalen Duren, the young center who anchors Detroit's interior, has provided the physical foundation that Cunningham's playmaking required. The Pistons have home-court advantage through the conference finals. [2]

Detroit's first-round opponent will be determined by the play-in tournament. The Pistons will play their first home playoff game since 2019. The last time they entered the playoffs as the one seed was the 2006-07 season -- a team that reached the conference finals before losing to LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers. [1]

The playoffs begin April 18. Detroit is not the only story in the bracket. But it is the most compressed one: from worst to first in two years, without a rebuilding pause in the middle.

-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos