Cade Cunningham hit the last-second dagger against the Miami Heat that marked a big moment for the Detroit Pistons.
They won a meaningful game for the standings, as it allowed them to keep pace with the Pacers and gain ground on the Bucks, the two teams directly in front of them, and put a little more breathing room between them and the play-in tournament.
It also pushed Detroit’s road record to 21-15 on the season, which is seven more victories than they had in total last season, when they won just seven games on the road.
The Pistons are now guaranteed to end with a winning record away from Little Caesar's Arena. Detroit hasn’t had a winning road record since 2008, which is a year we’ve been hearing a lot lately, as it was the last time the Pistons were actually good.
The Pistons are not likely to have home court advantage in the playoffs, which is fine, as they are just 18-16 at home and have actually been better on the road this season for whatever reason.
Cade Cunningham also hit an important milestone in the win over Miami.
Cade Cunningham sets career high in games played
After missing parts of his rookie season, nearly all of his second season and 20 games last year, Cunningham was on the verge of getting the “injury prone” label.
This was unfair to anyone paying attention, as Cunningham had a shin issue that had bothered him since high school, and now that he finally got it sorted, put on some muscle and got into top shape, he’s managed to avoid major injuries in year four.
Cunningham has now played 65 games for the first time in his career, besting the 64 games he played when he was a rookie.
This also makes him eligible for postseason awards such as the All-NBA team, which requires players to appear in at least 65 games in the season for at least 20 minutes a game, minimums that have killed some of his teammate’s chances at awards.
Awards aside, his ability to stay healthy and play big minutes this season has to have the Pistons feeling better about the max contract extension they gave him last summer.
Cunningham has proven himself worthy of such an investment, as he has emerged as an All-NBA talent and is currently leading his team to a playoff berth, precisely what the Pistons expected to happen when they drafted him #1 overall and then gave him a max deal.