Addressing Pistons’ “Elephant in the Room”, Jayson Tatum Urges Respect for Cade Cunningham and Co

If the Celtics came into tonight’s matchup with the thought that this would be an easy win, they were sorely mistaken. The Pistons, led by Cade Cunningham, gave Jayson Tatum & co a run for their money. With Detroit leading by the end of the second half, the Celtics suddenly shifted into survival mode.

The fourth-quarter run also gave Boston a heart attack when Bojan Bogdanovic sent the game into overtime. But the Celtics came out victors with 128-122. Talking about the monstrous efforts the Pistons put forth, Tatum gave them props, “Everybody knows the elephant in the room, their record… You might think it’s gonna be easy, but then they come out and punch you in the mouth and you gotta regroup.“

With the 28th loss handed to the Pistons tonight in what was a very close call (too close for comfort), the “elephant in the room” is all too apparent. But in all fairness, the Pistons’ game tonight also showcased the talents of their players. Almost everyone on the team scored in double digits, with three players landing double-doubles.

Jaden Ivey (22-10), Jalen Duren (15-14), and Bogdanovic (17-12) all led the scoreboard right behind Cunningham, who had 31 points, nine assists, and six rebounds.

Will the Pistons’ losing streak go down in history as the worst?

Right now, the Detroit Pistons have company for the worst losing record in the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers’ streak, however, spanned two seasons. If we broaden the search to major North American sports, they will find the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals with a 29-game losing streak. But that was in 1942-45.

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Let’s take a look at other major sports, namely the NHL, MLB, and NCAA (basketball). The NHL’s losing streak has happened in more recent years. The Pittsburgh Penguins (2003-04) and Buffalo Sabres (2020-21) each have an 18 game-skid.

Moving to MLB, the first worst record happened in 1889 to Louisville Colonels (26 games). Next skid was in 1975 and 2005 to Detroit Tigers (19) and Kansas City Royals (19), respectively. In NCAA basketball, Chicago State (Women’s) in 2016-2018 season had a 59-game losing streak.

Towson (Men’s), on the other hand, had finished the 2010-11 season with a 19-game skid. This continued into their 2011-12 season as well for 22 games, coming to a total 41-game losing streak. While this provides little comfort, it does remind us that the players are still human and these kinds of lapses happen in every sport.

Hopefully, the Pistons don’t take this long to break the skid!

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