Detroit Pistons: Six years of futility that must end eventually

The mantra of the Detroit Pistons has been “wait until next year!” for awhile now, including this season, when the franchise is once again selling fans on hope for the future.

It’s all you have when your team is the worst in the Eastern Conference as the Pistons currently are, especially when your best player is on the bench with an injury and the rest of the squad hasn’t found any chemistry without him.

The Pistons haven’t made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season and haven’t won an actual playoff game since 2007-8, back when LeBron James was just 22-years-old and had a hairline.

The Detroit Pistons have been the worst team in basketball for the last decade, including against the Central division, as they have just a 60-96 record against their division rivals in that span.

But the team that has dominated them the most is the one they play tonight, the Milwaukee Bucks, who have battered the Pistons like their little brother, something that eventually has to end if Detroit is going to turn the corner as a franchise.

The Detroit Pistons vs. the Milwaukee Bucks

It’s been an ugly era for the Detroit Pistons, especially against the Bucks, who have thoroughly dominated them for a decade and counting.

It’s been notably bad during the last six years, as the Pistons have only beaten Milwaukee three times, going 3-19 from January 2017 until present day.

It’s not just the wins and losses, as the Pistons have horrific stats against the Bucks, including shooting just 41 percent from the field in that time and averaging more turnovers per game than assists.

It’s not likely to end tonight, as the Bucks should get both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton back, while the Pistons will be without Cade Cunningham, Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Stewart and likely Killian Hayes, who might be out due to embarrassment after having one of his worst games of the season in Paris.

If you look at all of the best teams in the NBA, they not only have good records against their conference but also against their division, as these are the teams that you play the most.

We’ll know that Detroit has finally turned the corner when they are regularly beating the Bucks, as they’ve been the team to beat in the Central Division and the Pistons haven’t been able to get the better of them much in the past six years.

For this horrible era to finally end, the Detroit Pistons have to start beating the teams that they play four times a year, and that includes the Milwaukee Bucks.