Let me start with the headline that's going to make you do a double-take: The Detroit Pistons have the best record in the NBA.
Read that again. The Detroit Pistons. Best record. In the NBA. In the entire league.
And after what Cade Cunningham did at Madison Square Garden last night, nobody should be surprised. The man put on an absolute clinic, dropping 42 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists in a 126-111 beatdown of the Knicks.
This wasn't just a stat line. This was a statement. Cunningham carved up New York's defense like a seasoned veteran, hitting 17-of-34 from the field and 5-of-11 from three. He had 20 points in the first half and never let his foot off the gas.
"I came to MSG to show people what we're about," Cunningham said after the game. "This isn't a fluke. This isn't luck. We're the best team in basketball right now, and we're going to keep proving it."
The Pistons didn't even have Jalen Duren or Isaiah Stewart in this one. Didn't matter. Cade was unstoppable. He hit step-back threes. He drove to the rim. He found open teammates. He did everything.
And now Detroit has the inside track to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Let that sink in. The team that was the laughingstock of the league just a few years ago is now on top of the basketball world.
This is what happens when you draft the right guy and let him cook. Cunningham is playing like an MVP candidate - and honestly, why shouldn't he be in that conversation? The numbers are there. The wins are there. The performances on big stages like MSG are there.
The New York crowd came to watch their Knicks. Instead, they got a masterclass from a 22-year-old who's turning the Pistons into a championship contender. Jalen Brunson had 33 points and it didn't matter. Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 21. Didn't matter.
When Cade Cunningham is in this zone, there's not a team in the league that can stop him. And that's terrifying news for the rest of the NBA.
The Pistons are for real, folks. This isn't a feel-good story anymore. This is a legitimate championship threat. That's what sports is all about.
