Cunningham reflects on the hard-fought first-round battle with the Knicks, as Detroit looks to build on that playoff test with an 11-2 start atop the East.
Throughout Cade Cunningham‘s first three seasons, the Detroit Pistons won just 54 games combined. In 2024-25, led by Cunningham’s All-Star season, during which he averaged 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds, the Pistons nearly matched that in one year by going 44-38, earning a place in the NBA Playoffs for the third time since 2009-10 and the first time in six years.
For Cunningham and Co., it was a welcome switch-up from the previous few seasons.
“I mean, firstly, it was a blessing to even be in that, versus the previous years, come out of All-Star break, season over,” he told Kevin Durant in Boardroom’s November Cover Story. “Season over with everybody taking off against you. It’s just like nobody gives a damn about our games. So, just had us all fired up. We’ve had a bunch of guys be in the trenches for years, not even thinking about playoffs. I ain’t even smelling playoff basketball.”