The Celtics have given the Detroit Pistons a blueprint for success

The Detroit Pistons need to build an elite defense

It is no coincidence that the two teams in the NBA Finals,  Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors, had the number one and two defenses in the NBA this season.

Fans love offense and flashy shots and dunks are what ultimately sell tickets, but defense is what ultimately wins titles.

The games slow down in the playoffs when you have to play the same team potentially seven times. Teams learn each other’s habits, game plan for weaknesses and exploit any mismatches in the playoffs.

The Eastern Conference Finals this year were a throwback to the old days when playoff games were often had scores in the low 80’s and 90’s.

The Detroit Pistons won all three of their titles with an elite defense and need to get back to that, as it is still what wins games in the NBA.

Cade Cunningham is the perfect team leader in that regard, as he is not only a good defender who is decimated on that end, but he is versatile and can guard four positions depending on the matchups.

Your star has to buy into defense to win in the NBA, and Cade Cunningham has, which is a great sign for the Detroit Pistons. They also have a potential Marcus Smart-like defender in Killian Hayes, and while Hayes hasn’t been good at all offensively, if he can turn into an elite defender, he will be a valuable contributor, just like Smart.

Troy Weaver clearly values guys who work hard on the defensive end and will hopefully keep adding them in the draft, trades and free agency so the Pistons can get back to how they’ve won in the past.

I hate to give the Celtics credit, but they have built the type of sustainable success the Pistons hope to have very soon and showed Detroit how to do it.