The Detroit Pistons qualified for the 2019 NBA Playoffs by defeating the New York Knicks in the final game of the regular season, earning the very last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Of course, that meant they’d have to run into a buzzsaw called the Milwaukee Bucks, who won 60 of 82 games, good for best in the league. And while the Pistons didn’t win a single game against Milwaukee in the playoffs (or in the regular season), they’re not regretting their short experience in the postseason.
Team owner Tom Gores, who was in attendance, stayed positive and said that he’d rather have had a short postseason experience than none at all.
“We’re happy to get in and I’m very happy to see this stadium rocking a little bit and Detroit get going,” Gores explained court side following Game 4.
“I just don’t believe in the idea of … whatever you want to call it, tanking, losing,” Gores said. “We need a winning culture here. You can’t get on the court and think about losing. I just don’t believe in it. I think this year, before the All-Star break, nobody thought we could get into the playoffs, so we did do something special.
Of course, he also touched on the topic of “tanking”, as plenty of fans and pundits had suggested would be more beneficial for the team long term. Safe to say, he’s not a fan of that idea.
“This series wasn’t great for us. We played a great team in Milwaukee. But I’m not going to get into that (tanking) business. We should never be tanking, losing on purpose because of the (draft lottery) rules. We got to go out and win. That’s what it’s all about.”
The Pistons will have plenty of time to re-group in the offseason before the 2019-20 NBA campaign begins in the fall.
