CNN
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It’s D-Day again for the Detroit Pistons. The team has set some undesirable records this season and is set to set a new one Saturday against the Toronto Raptors. If the Pistons lose, they will tie the longest losing streak in the history of major American professional sports.
Not since the Chicago Cardinals lost 29 consecutive NFL games from 1942 to 1945 has an American team endured a losing streak as long as the Pistons. The Pistons have already lost 28 games, an unprecedented failure in a single season in the NBA.
After trailing by 19 points at halftime in the third quarter, the Pistons suffered a heartbreaking 128-122 loss to the high-flying Boston Celtics in overtime on Thursday, their 28th loss.
“I feel hurt for them,” Pistons head coach Monty Williams told reporters. “When you play like this against most teams in the league, you don’t just win one game, you win a lot of games. I feel that we are very close to that.” after that.
“I told them it takes a lot of character and integrity to do what we do…I’ve seen teams succumb to tougher situations than we’re dealing with. I did.”
The losing streak is a result of the team rebuilding through youth with top draft picks over the past few seasons, including guard Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, and Orser Thompson, the No. 5 pick this year. It’s a cruel disappointment for a team that has been working hard. And this year, they lured Williams to the Pistons with a lucrative coaching contract.
However, this Pistons team far from providing a glimpse of future success, it was the 1972-1973 Philadelphia 76ers, 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats, 2015-16 Sixers, 1992-1993 Dallas. ·Mavericks.
In fact, their current winning percentage is worse than all of these teams, at just .065 this season, compared to the .110 winning percentage that the Sixers accumulated in 1972-73, which had the dubious record of being the worst season in NBA history.
The Pistons, the league’s youngest team with an average age of just 23.5 years old, have shown a lack of experience in a depressing losing streak.
“I would feel bad for any team going through that. Any of the other 29 teams, I would be disappointed in them,” said former Pistons star and current NBA basketball operations director. CEO Joe Dumars told The Athletic.
“It’s the Pistons. I feel for the organization and the fans there. … I spent my entire career there. So it’s tough to watch them go through that… We hope to end this slide soon.”
The Pistons will face the Toronto Raptors on Saturday at 6pm ET.