While the Detroit Pistons were expected to be bad this season, nobody could have predicted just how record-breakingly abysmal they would become.
After losing 118-112 to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night, the Pistons have now lost 27 straight games — becoming the first team in NBA history to lose 27 straight games in a single season. After starting the season 2-1, Tuesday's defeat meant that Pistons fell to 2-28 on the season.
It's tough to allocate blame for the Pistons constantly losing, considering that just about everybody — players, coaches and front office executives — are at fault for this failure. Yet, there's no doubt that Pistons' first-year head coach Monty Williams deserves his fair share. That's especially true considering that Williams was named the 2021-22 season's NBA Coach of the Year while he was with the Phoenix Suns, then signed the biggest coaching deal in NBA history upon joining the Pistons this past offseason.
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
After Tuesday's loss, Williams addressed his team's record-breaking losing streak, saying, "Is it heavy? Yeah, I would imagine for everybody it is. Nobody wants this kind of thing attached to them."
Williams continued: "I was brought in here to change this thing. It's probably the most on me than anybody. Players are playing their hearts out. I got to get them in a position where they don't feel tight or heavy."
While Detroit's streak of defeats has already made NBA history, there's still a chance for its losing ways to break more records. The current NBA record for most consecutive losses by a franchise is 28, which was set by the Philadelphia 76ers from late in the 2014-15 season through early 2015-16.
The Sixers no longer have the longest losing streak in NBA history in a season. The Detroit Pistons have now lost 27 consecutive games. The new NBA record for worst losing streak ever in a season. pic.twitter.com/AFJgmjpYyS
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 27, 2023
Therefore, if the Pistons lose their next game — which is on the road against the Boston Celtics (whose current 23-6 record is best in the NBA) on Thursday — they'll tie the 76ers' historic losing streak. Then they'll have an opportunity to break that record on Saturday, when they face the 11-18 Toronto Raptors at home.
Regardless of whether they break that losing streak, it's a tough time to be a Pistons fan right now.
At least Detroit seems to have a budding star in Cade Cunningham. Plus, the Pistons will have a great chance of winning the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Perhaps Pistons nation can expect more success in the future.
