Cade Cunningham makes his feelings crystal clear after leading Pistons to longest winning streak in 17 years - "City wants championships"

Cade Cunningham's Detroit Pistons trounced the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics 117-97 on Wednesday, extending their winning streak to a league-best eight games. Following the decisive home victory, the first-time All-Star reflected on leading Detroit to a level of success the franchise hasn't experienced in 17 years.

Cunningham tallied 21 points and 11 assists on 42.9% shooting. Meanwhile, his veteran teammate Malik Beasley chipped in a team-best 26 points, five rebounds and six 3-pointers off the bench, shooting 66.7%. Their offensive prowess helped the Pistons pull away in the fourth quarter and snap a 12-game losing skid against the Celtics.

With its win, Detroit (33-26) extended its cushion over the Eastern Conference's seventh-seeded Orlando Magic (29-31) amid its unexpected playoff push. Meanwhile, it secured its longest winning streak since 2008.

The Pistons have been one of the NBA's biggest surprises, drastically improving upon last season's league-worst 14-68 finish. Cunningham's ascension, combined with the addition of several veteran role players, has put the organization on the verge of achieving its first postseason berth since 2019.

While Cunningham is delighted to bring Detroit's fan base hope after years of disappointment, he noted postgame that he has championships in mind.

"This is everything that we wanted to do. 'Restore this franchise' is what we said a lot," Cunningham said.

"So, to see it come to fruition is a great thing, and I'm happy for the city, but I'm not satisfied at all, and there's still a lot more work to do. I think the city wants to see a lot more. The city wants championships. So, we're slowly building towards that, and this is a great start for us."

The upstart Pistons aren't expected to contend for this year's title. However, they could give a team trouble in the playoffs' first round and possibly pull off an upset.

Detroit trails the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers (33-24) by just one game. A top-four finish would give Cunningham and Co. home-court advantage in Round 1.

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Cade Cunningham on how his life looked during Pistons' last 8-game winning streak

After underscoring his desire to lead Detroit to playoff glory, Cade Cunningham touched on how his life looked during the franchise's last eight-game winning streak. Cunningham, born in 2001, quipped that it was too far back for him to remember.

"In '08, I mean, I don't know. I was a kid, so I was doing kid things," Cunningham said.

Detroit will attempt to stretch its winning streak to nine games on Friday when it hosts the Denver Nuggets (38-20). The interconference showdown should provide another tough test for the young squad amid its postseason pursuit.

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