{"id":1866439,"date":"2026-04-05T01:36:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T22:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1866439"},"modified":"2026-04-05T01:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T22:36:58","slug":"pistons-clinch-no-1-seed-in-east-for-first-time-since-2007-with-win-over-76ers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1866439","title":{"rendered":"Pistons clinch No. 1 seed in East for first time since 2007 with win over 76ers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHILADELPHIA \u2014 For the first time since 2007, the Detroit Pistons have claimed the Eastern Conference\u2019s No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs.<\/p>\n

They last sat atop the East heading into the postseason when the late Flip Saunders patrolled the sidelines and Rip Hamilton was the Pistons\u2019 leading scorer. Ron Holland II wasn\u2019t even 2 years old yet, and Tobias Harris \u2014 the oldest player on Detroit\u2019s roster this season \u2014 had yet to turn 15.<\/p>\n

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Ausar Thompson, who was born in 2003 and in preschool in 2007, joked after the win that 2007 was when he gained consciousness.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s 116-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers marks the first time in nearly 20 years the Pistons (57-21) earned the first seed and further underscores just how drastic their turnaround has been over the last two seasons<\/a>. It also ensures they will have home-court advantage through at least the Eastern Conference finals \u2014 should Detroit make it that far.<\/p>\n

J.B. Bickerstaff has orchestrated the Pistons\u2019 return to relevance since taking over during the 2045-25 season. He has emphasized a process-driven mentality that his team has adopted, and routinely combats complacency after each new milestone. This achievement was no different.<\/p>\n

\u201c(We\u2019ll) take a moment. Reflect on where we\u2019ve been, reflect on the work that we put in to get here,\u201d Bickerstaff said over celebratory cheers spilling out from Detroit\u2019s locker room. \u201cBut understanding that this isn\u2019t the finish. To grow the way this group has grown together as quickly as it has, it is special. But we\u2019ve got more food to eat. We\u2019ll take tonight, enjoy this, tomorrow we\u2019ll get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Daniss Jenkins, who has helped guide the Pistons to an 8-2 record<\/a> since Cade Cunningham went down with a left lung pneumothorax on March 17, continued his stellar play. The second-year guard notched his third double-double of the season with 16 points on 2-of-5 from long range, 14 assists and just one turnover.<\/p>\n

Jenkins spoke to how meaningful Detroit\u2019s transformation has been to him, as someone who has felt overlooked for quite some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest thing for the guys who were here through the good, bad and ugly was their true character,\u201d Jenkins said as he sat at his locker. \u201cJust to stay with it, because know how everybody was talking about them around the league. Just their character to fight back through adversity. To me, I love stories like this, you know what I mean? It\u2019s like underdogs. Everybody was looking down at us and looking at us like, \u2018Oh they\u2019re trash\u2019 or whatever.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just go out and show the world what we\u2019re really about.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Pistons have weathered adversity all season, from injuries to suspensions, and have still maintained their position as the No. 1 seed in the conference since Nov. 7, 2025. Jalen Duren \u2014 a Pennsylvania native, who added 16 points and seven rebounds in Saturday\u2019s win \u2014 has been invaluable in Detroit\u2019s ascension.<\/p>\n

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He\u2019s on pace for career highs in points (19.5), usage percentage (23.1), offensive rating (119.8), defensive rating (107.6) and net rating (12.1). The 22-year-old center has expanded his game and, in the process, solidified himself as the Robin to Cunningham\u2019s Batman.<\/p>\n

Duren has also blossomed into one of the Pistons\u2019 vocal leaders. He\u2019s someone who players rely on to set the tone on the floor, and more often than not, he sets the tone in the locker room with his pre- and postgame music selections. Though Duren is in just his fourth season, he has been outspoken on his affinity for the city of Detroit. Helping the team and city reclaim their standing as one of the NBA\u2019s elites is meaningful to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means the world,\u201d Duren said about clinching the No. 1 seed. \u201cI think we\u2019ve got the best fans in the league. They\u2019ve been behind us ever since I got here \u2014 through the ups, through the downs \u2014 they\u2019ve supported us. They deserve it, man, the city deserves it. We\u2019ve got a long way to go, a lot more to accomplish, but we\u2019re going to enjoy this tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Asked Jalen Duren what it means to clinch the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2007:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means the world. We\u2019ve got the best fans in the league. They\u2019ve been behind us ever since I got here, through the ups through the downs they\u2019ve supported us. They deserve it.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/gJ4d68ag8Q<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hunter Patterson (@HunterPatterson) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Harris, the resident vet who was booed each time he touched the ball and had his family sitting courtside, poured in 19 points of his own with four steals Saturday night.<\/p>\n

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Bickerstaff often refers to Harris as his \u201csafety blanket.\u201d Like Bickerstaff, Harris came in last season and helped shift the culture of the Pistons\u2019 locker room. He has played for five franchises during his 15-year career, including the 76ers, and believes the camaraderie Detroit shares has been instrumental in its evolution.<\/p>\n

But what specifically is the resident veteran most proud of about the Pistons\u2019 growth?<\/p>\n

\u201cTruthfully, just these guys,\u201d Harris said with the team\u2019s BTA belt propped up in his locker. \u201cThe willingness and ability for them to want to be eager to learn, develop their games and be the best they can be. You get a little taste of winning and you\u2019re just excited every single day you come in the building. So, that\u2019s been great for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Detroit continues to exceed expectations, as it has since the beginning of last season. The Pistons clinched the Central Division title for the first time since 2008 with Tuesday\u2019s win over the Toronto Raptors. They\u2019re now locked in as the No. 1 seed in the East after proving they were the best team in the conference all season. And they have a real shot at notching 60 wins for only the third time in franchise history.<\/p>\n

But as usual, they\u2019re not satisfied with just being the No. 1 seed. Nor are they getting ahead of themselves because they\u2019ve claimed that position.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat our guys have done a great job with throughout this season is staying present and staying in the moment,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cAll we think about is, \u2018What are we going to do today that\u2019s going to make us a better basketball team.\u2019 We don\u2019t think about 10 games, we don\u2019t think about March or April.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think about exactly where we are in that moment, and that allows us to stay consistent emotionally, go out and play the game the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA \u2014 For the first time since 2007, the Detroit Pistons have claimed the Eastern Conference\u2019s No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs. They last sat atop the East heading into the postseason when the late Flip Saunders patrolled the sidelines and Rip Hamilton was the Pistons\u2019 leading scorer. Ron Holland II wasn\u2019t even 2 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1866439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1866439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866439\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1866439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1866439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1866439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}