Jakarta - One year after posting the worst win-loss record in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons secured a place in this season's playoffs after defeating the Toronto Raptors with a score of 117-105, Saturday.
This achievement is a historic record, considering that no team in NBA history has managed to rise from just 14 wins in one season to become a playoff participant the following season.
"This is a huge accomplishment," said Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff, who is just starting his first season with the team, as quoted from the NBA website.
"Normally we don't think too much about our position, but this is a good moment for the team to reflect, see how far we have come and what we have achieved together," he added.
One of the pillars of the Pistons' revival this season has been Jalen Duren, who put in a brilliant performance by scoring 21 points and 18 rebounds in the match against the Raptors.
Duren, who is in his third season in the NBA, said he was pleased to be able to lead his team back to the playoffs after failing to win more than 17 games in the previous two seasons.
"A lot of people doubted us," Duren said.
"They didn't believe it. They thought it would take longer to turn things around, but we proved it could be done. But we're not done yet. We'll enjoy this achievement for a while, but our main goal is to bring the title back to this city," he added.