DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Pistons fans are ready for a new season and hoping this could be the year their team makes an even deeper run in the playoffs.
The Pistons will take on the Boston Celtics at Little Caesars Arena Tuesday afternoon as fans across metro Detroit look ahead to another season with high expectations.
Last season ended in disappointment with a playoff loss to Cleveland, but that hasn’t stopped fans from dreaming about what Detroit could accomplish this season.
Southfield resident Eli Goran said the team’s turnaround in recent years has given him plenty of reason to be excited.
“I’m extremely excited,” Goran said. “Two, three years ago, Pistons had one of the longest losing streaks. And then, they came back like three years later and got like 62 wins. So, anything can happen.”
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The Pistons won 60 games last season.
For longtime fan Carolyn Jones, another championship would bring back memories of some of the greatest years in Pistons history.
“I’m a Piston fan since I’m in Detroit,” Jones said, adding that she has followed the team since 1975. “I liked when the Bad Boys won back-to-back championships for them. So, I would like to see that again.”
Southfield resident Vince Ellis is also optimistic about the team’s chances.
“I’m excited for the year. I think that they’re gonna do good this year,” Ellis said. “I don’t think the No. 1 seed last year was a fluke.”
Ellis pointed to the Pistons’ returning core, including Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren, as a reason for his confidence heading into the season.
Fans also have another reason to be excited this year: Pistons games are back on free over-the-air television on The Spot - Detroit 20.
Grosse Pointe resident Steven Clark believes that will allow more people to follow the team.
“I think that’s a good thing,” Clark said. “I think it’s gonna increase... people viewing it and that kind of thing and gonna make the fans happy.”
Detroit resident Scnora Hawk agreed, saying she plans to watch as many of the games as she can.
“I am,” Hawk said when asked if she was happy the Pistons were back on free television. “Even though I was able to watch them on other platforms, a lot of people were missing them.”
For Pistons fans, the expectations are high, but so is the excitement as another season gets underway in Detroit.
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This story was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed, edited and approved by a 7 News Detroit journalist before publication.
