Detroit >> Jubilation ran through the team plane as the Detroit Pistons departed New York with a 124-119 win over the Knicks Monday night. The victory at Madison Square Garden solidified the Pistons as one of the hottest teams in the league and, more importantly, the most improved ball club in the association.

“We believe we can beat anybody,” center Isaiah Stewart said. “That’s our belief. We are good enough to beat any team in this league. We believe in each other. We are always pouring confidence in each other to go out there and be the best versions of ourselves. When we have that collective effort as a group, that’s a lot of energy and positive energy that we are putting out there.”Since Dec. 21, the Pistons have possessed the league’s third-best record at 10-2 — trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder (10-1) and Cleveland Cavaliers (9-1). After the calendar flipped to 2025, Detroit has produced a 7-1 record that included a season-best five-game winning streak.

The Pistons’ turnaround this season has not surprised them. Their success is a testament to the hard work they have put in since training camp and to the transformation of the team’s subpar culture from the previous five years.

When the Pistons began their offseason training, sitting above .500 (21-19) — while on the trajectory of ending their postseason drought — was expected through the first 40 games. By Jan. 15, 2024, the Pistons had a league-worst 4-36 record after the first 40 games of the 2023-24 season.

“It was tough,” guard Cade Cunningham said. “Even last year, guys were locked in; everyone wanted to do the right thing, but the ball wasn’t falling our way. We took a lot of L’s for it. But now, it is starting to pay off. Everyone is focused on the details; coaches continue to harp on the details. It is showing up with the way we have ended games and found ways to win.”

Remembering the heartbreak and agony from the previous year has kept the Pistons hungry amid their early accomplishments this season. In several ways, Detroit’s achievements have fueled its drive.

“We haven’t done nothing yet,” center Jalen Duren said. “We haven’t shown anything. We have just a little bit of energy, a little bit of a spark going, and we have to build on it. We cannot get complacent. As we keep growing and building as a team, you will see how hungry we are and how much better we can be.”

Cunningham’s All-NBA-caliber play has spearheaded the franchise’s renaissance, with averages of 24.5 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.6 rebounds. But the Pistons’ success has been more than the superstar emergence of the former No. 1 pick.

Over the last 12 games, Detroit’s camaraderie has led to the 10th-highest scoring team (115.8 ppg) while holding the sixth-best offensive rating (117.0).

The Pistons are also second in 3-point shooting, making 39.2% of their shots. Malik Beasley continues to rank second behind Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards for the most made triples. He has made 151 3-point field goals on the season while connecting on 40.4% of his attempts.

Detroit also has improved into a respectable defensive team during the stretch, with a net rating of 112.2. Stewart is second in the league for most rejections as a reserve (1.3 blocks), while Ausar Thompson has registered 29 steals in 18 games played.

When coach J.B. Bickerstaff met with each of the Pistons’ returning players during the offseason, every individual brought something unique to their respective conversations. However, everyone shared the goal of moving on from last season’s struggles.

“That made my job easier because I was able to come into guys who were extremely open-minded about doing different things and open to new tasks,” Bickerstaff said. “The guys bought in right away because going through that helped them recognize they didn’t want to go back there, and they are willing to do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

The Pistons began preparing for the season in early October at the Henry Ford Performance Center, believing they could beat any team nightly. However, an 0-4 start led many to think Detroit was on the verge of another disappointing campaign.

Three months later, the Pistons are eighth in the Eastern Conference and have a better record than the Atlanta Hawks (19-19), the Chicago Bulls (18-21) and the Philadelphia 76ers (18-21) — three teams that were projected to finish ahead of Detroit prior to the start of the season.

As the league reaches the halfway mark, the Pistons are heading in the right direction. But before solidifying themselves as a playoff-caliber team, maintaining consistency to avoid a disappointing fall-off will be the top priority in the second half of the season.

“That’s the challenge we face as coaches and players is trying to figure out how we can do this for 82 games,” Bickerstaff said. “We want to get to a point where every single night we show up and play the way we want to play. We are still working towards it. We had some lapses in games and in some quarters of games, but overall, we’ve played to our identity and guys have a clear recognition of what that is.”