The Detroit Pistons’ season ended in brutal fashion Sunday night, and Cade Cunningham did not try to sugarcoat it afterward.
Following Detroit’s 125-94 Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Little Caesars Arena, Cunningham delivered a raw and honest reaction that perfectly captured the frustration surrounding the night.
“That game sucked,” Cunningham said. “Being back home, definitely wanted to get this win for the fans. It reminded me of last year, losing on the home court.”
The loss marked a devastating end to what had otherwise been a breakthrough season for the Pistons. Detroit entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after winning 60 games during the regular season, but Cleveland overwhelmed them from the opening quarter Sunday night.
Cade Cunningham struggles in biggest game of season
Cunningham never fully found his rhythm offensively.
The All-Star guard finished with 13 points while shooting just 5-for-16 from the field and 0-for-7 from three-point range. He also recorded five assists and three turnovers as Cleveland’s defense consistently forced difficult looks and disrupted Detroit’s offensive flow.
“It’s not a great feeling,” Cunningham admitted. “I hadn’t been thinking about the offseason so my mind’s been racing now, trying to figure out what I’ve got to do and what it’s going to look like. That’s really it.”
Pistons fall short after resilient playoff run
What made the loss even tougher was how much fight Detroit had shown throughout the postseason.
The Pistons had already survived four elimination games, including an improbable comeback from a 3-1 deficit against the Orlando Magic in Round 1. That resilience helped fuel belief that Detroit could once again respond under pressure.
Instead, Cleveland controlled the game almost entirely from start to finish.
Detroit scored just 34 points in the paint, tying its lowest total in any game all season, while the Cavaliers repeatedly attacked the basket and generated cleaner offensive looks.
Cade Cunningham still sees growth in Pistons season
Even with the disappointing ending, Cunningham made it clear he still views the season as a major step forward for the franchise.
“Obviously, disappointing series right here,” Cunningham said. “Fell short of doing enough of the right things to win the series.”
But Cunningham quickly shifted toward the bigger picture.
“We were the No. 1 seed for a reason,” he continued. “We won a lot of games this year. We played great basketball all year long and really established an identity and stuff that we didn’t have for a long time.”
That identity became one of the defining themes of Detroit’s season.
The Pistons transformed from a rebuilding team into one of the NBA’s toughest and most physical groups, led by Cunningham’s emergence into true superstar territory.
“So, all those things are positives and things that we’ll take into the offseason and come back next year and grow from,” Cunningham added.
Offseason now begins for Detroit Pistons
For the first time in months, Detroit’s focus now shifts away from playoff basketball.
And based on Cunningham’s comments, that transition is already happening mentally.
The loss clearly stung. But it also sounded like the beginning of another stage in his development as a leader.
The expectations around this franchise have changed.
Now the challenge becomes finding a way to take the next step.