How's this for company? LeBron and Luka. Jokic and Westbrook. The Beard and The Big O. And Cade Cunningham. The Pistons All-Star just became the seventh player in NBA history to average at least 25 points, nine assists and five rebounds in a season -- with the real season about to begin.
"I want to be the best player in the world," Cunningham said in a sit-down with ESPN as the Pistons prepare to take on the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. "That’s every day. That’s what my phone tells me every day is, 'best player in the world.' "So that’s the only thing I’m striving for, and having the best team in the world. And I don’t think there’s too many players that you could argue above me."
Cunningham smiled and added, "Obviously the playoffs is going to determine a lot. That’s why I’m excited and looking forward to these series and getting this thing rolling and waking people up as far as what’s in Detroit and the type of respect we deserve."
The Pistons are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, with a real chance to win a playoff game and quite possibly a series for the first time since 2008. It's been "a long time for the organization," said Cunningham -- too long.
The Pistons beat the Knicks three out of four this season, with Cunningham averaging over 30 a game against New York's stifling defense. He hung 36 on the Knicks for the second game in a row in a comeback win for Detroit last week. After the Pistons ratcheted up the physicality and shut down the Knicks in the second half, New York's star center Karl-Anthony Towns said, "That’s Detroit basketball."
Cunningham expects more of the same in the clashes to come.
"It’s going to be a war. It’s going to be highly-physical games, defense, battling it out on the glass, all of those different things. I think it’s going to be a super exciting series for people at home to watch, and it’s going to be a great test for us," he said.
Coming off the worst season in franchise history, the Pistons have upended expectations thanks to Cunningham's rising star and some sharp moves by new president of basketball ops Trajan Langdon. He signed Malik Beasley at a bargain last summer, and the veteran wound up leading the NBA in threes. The Pistons have also embraced a snarl and a commitment to defense under first-year head coach J.B. Bickerstaff that recalls the Bad Boys.
"When you’re in Detroit for long enough, I think it’s just naturally infectious," said Cunningham. "Like, it’s contagious. Everybody’s walking around with it, everybody kind of carries it with them. I think that’s the first step of being an athlete in Detroit: you gotta play hard, you gotta have some type of grit. Grit is the word that everybody always uses."
The Pistons have it in spades, and the Knicks know it. The Knicks have the firepower to counter it, and the Pistons know it. It should make for a highly-entertaining first round series that starts Saturday night at Madison Square Garden -- where the Pistons won both their games this season. They will not be afraid by the stakes or the stage, led by a 23-year-old who's announcing himself as one of the best in the game.
Take him at his word. Better yet, watch him play.
"I'm right there," said Cunningham. "I’m not trying to push my case right now, I’m not trying to knock anybody else’s case right now. At the end of the day, everybody is entitled to their own opinion and you get to watch all of us play and figure it out for yourself."