Pistons playoff win at home Sunday would mean 'everything,' fans say
Even fans who endured the team's previous losses over the last several years were eager to be at the game Sunday.
Detroit ― 11-year-old Kenden Taylor of Toledo summed up in one word what a Detroit Pistons playoff game win on Sunday would mean. "Everything," Kenden said. Fans showed up early to hang out outside of Little Caesars Arena on Sunday afternoon despite the cold temperatures just to have somewhere to be excited ahead of Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Orlando Magic.
They were hoping to witness the Pistons' first home playoff victory since the team won Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 94-75 over the Boston Celtics, on May 26, 2008. The Pistons went on to lose the Boston series. The team has since lost three opening-round playoff series without a victory (Cleveland Cavaliers 2009, Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 and Milwaukee Bucks 2019), while winning two games on the road against the New York Knicks last season before losing the series 4-2 without a home victory.
► LIVE UPDATES: Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic, NBA Playoffs It's a frustrating streak, but not one that's kept die-hard fans from having faith in the team's chance this year. "I know we're going to win," said Indigo Zuri of Detroit.
Zuri was first in line at the Comerica entrance to the arena, despite still holding onto a bit of the grief over last year's loss to the Knicks. "I was here last year," Zuri said. "I was so sad, I cried.