Cade Cunningham says Pistons love facing Celtics: ‘Championship identity’

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Cade Cunningham says Pistons love facing Celtics: ‘Championship identity’

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Tue, Dec 16, 2025 ·

3 min read

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BOSTON — The Celtics aren't quite the behemoths they were the past two seasons, when loaded rosters meant title expectations. But the C's still have a wealth of talent , which they've displayed over the opening months of the season. They've been one of the best teams in the East even though they're down Jayson Tatum .

So there's still juice to playing the Celtics, the 2024 NBA champions. The Pistons are trying to get to that level as they've been the surprise of the East, leading the conference with a 21-5 record. All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham , after the Pistons beat the Celtics on Monday , explained how his team approaches playing Boston.

"They're a championship team; they've got a championship identity," Cunningham said. "Play a great brand of basketball, so it's always a test for us coming in. It's a game we love coming in for because we know that they're going to test us and play good basketball."

The Pistons and Celtics battled to another close finish Monday with this one going Detroit 's way. Just last month, it was the C's hitting multiple 3-pointers to bury the Pistons in Boston. But this time, the Pistons made just enough plays to extinguish the Celtics' comeback bid.

The C's, of course, aren't at full strength with Tatum sidelined indefinitely. The Pistons reminded them of that in another physical matchup between the teams Monday. Detroit's stock is also on the rise after winning 44 games and earning a playoff berth last season. But now, the Pistons are looking to take next steps toward competitiveness.

Cunningham is a big part of that, dueling C's star Jaylen Brown and exchanging buckets all night. Cunningham had 32 points and 10 assists, hitting timely buckets. Brown had 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists Monday, getting to the paint at will and generating consistent offense for the Celtics.

Monday's game was a potential playoff preview between two intriguing teams in a wide-open East. They will meet for the fourth and final time this regular season Jan. 19 in Detroit, with the Pistons currently owning a 2-1 edge over the C's. These are all new experiences for the Pistons just two seasons removed from setting an NBA record with 28 consecutive losses. But that's all behind them now.

"I always remember where we've been," Cunningham said. "Carry that with us everywhere we go. We don't get too high because we've been at the bottom of it. We've been where we've been searching for answers. But also not getitng too low, knowing that it can always turn around. We have all the talent in the room to get the job done."

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