DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Pistons are playing in a second-round playoff series for the first time in Little Caesars Arena history, and the excitement is spilling well beyond the arena's doors.
Fans flooded the streets of downtown Detroit, many of them wearing throwback jerseys and chanting "Detroit basketball" — a phrase that carries extra weight after 18 years without deep postseason success.
For longtime fan Andre McCrary, who was spotted wearing a Bad Boys-era jersey, the moment is personal.
"Since I was a baby, since I was a baby," McCrary said, when asked how long he has been a Pistons fan.
McCrary said the city has a way of coming together when the team wins.
"Detroit, we gonna represent. When we come down, we represent, we come together, the whole city comes together when we win," McCrary said.
Gary Everett, another longtime fan, said he has lived through the highs and lows of Pistons basketball and knows what this moment means.
"I've experienced the pain of us, the joy of us and this is just, I'm battle tested as a fan," Everett said.
Everett also invoked a piece of Detroit sports lore to describe the bond between the city and its winning teams.
"One thing about Detroit, Sparky Anderson once told Chuck Daly, if you win here, they'll love you forever," Everett said.
Fan Karmen Perry summed up the current mood in just two words when asked about the energy downtown.
"Hype, lit," Perry said.
Gary Winston said the playoff run means more than just basketball.
"It builds up the economy, it builds up camaraderie and a brotherhood among Detroiters," Winston said.
The energy is also being felt by local business owners. Harry Kefalonitis opened Harry's Detroit in 1994, and his bar and restaurant received a significant boost when Little Caesars Arena opened next door. He said the city has been waiting for this moment.
"Ever since... they first opened in the fall, we've been waiting for this. I think the whole city has been waiting to see which team will break out and start getting into the playoffs?" Kefalonitis said.
Kefalonitis said winning is the ultimate driver for businesses like his.
"Ultimately, winning fixes everything and now that the teams are winning, that helps tremendously," Kefalonitis said.
The second-round series brings at least two home games to downtown Detroit, meaning more fans, more foot traffic and more momentum for a city that has been waiting a long time to say it again — Detroit basketball.
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