Legendary coach Phil Jackson has a trusty rule to separate the contenders from the pretenders
Entering the 2025-26 regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder were clear favorites to repeat as NBA Champions– or at least factor in the crowning of a new champ. The Western Conference as a whole, filled with Anthony Edwards’ Timberwolves and Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets, is a deep section of the league, and each of those squads had title-or-bust expectations entering the year.
The Detroit Pistons, on the other hand, have risen from a more pragmatic launch point to their lofty position with the second-highest winning percentage in the NBA this season at 24-6. Back in October, the Pistons were looked at as a potential playoff squad with a young core and several question marks after losing multiple key veteran role players over the offseason.
A winning season was about the baseline floor of expectations for Detroit, but the Pistons have significantly accelerated the timeline in the organization’s rebuild and now stand as legitimate contenders according to NBA legend Phil Jackson.
As Jackson’s famous 40-20 rule goes, a team must win 40 games before it loses its first 20 games in the regular season to pose a real challenge for the NBA Championship in June. That’s a fairly simple threshold, and it has proven true far more often than not over the past 30 years. In fact, only three times has Jackson’s rule proven untrue over that timespan, so the odds favor that of the Zen Master.
Given the Pistons’ current position at 24-6 on the regular season, it is fairly likely that Detroit will win 14 more games before it loses 14 more games– that would qualify the Pistons for Jackson’s rule.
However, the Pistons do not necessarily need Jackson’s blessing to factor into the title picture as a brash squad that is not taking no for an answer. With a defense-first approach, the Pistons thrive on mixing it up and winning in ugly fashion. Detroit point forward Ausar Thompson takes opposing scorers hostage on a nightly basis, and Isaiah Stewart declares a no-fly-zone in the Pistons’ paint every time the ball tips off.
In addition to the squad’s aggressive, turnover-inducing defense, the Pistons thrive on the fast break and have found great success in converting high-percentage shots. It seems obvious in theory, but Detroit has opted to prioritize a high conversion rate through two-point baskets as opposed to an over reliance on the perimeter shot. So, the Pistons have the second-most points in the paint this season as a byproduct of that philosophy, and it’s been a key aspect of Detroit’s ascension to first place in the Eastern Conference.
Although the Pistons journey to first place has been all but conventional, the Pistons do not abide by the strict rules that basketball normally operates under. Cade Cunningham, the superstar currently residing in Motown, is a rare game changer who does not seek out the spotlight– the moment finds him.
Though reserved in demeanor, Cunningham is a cold-blooded assassin in the clutch, and he’s helped put the finishing touches on many close contests for the Pistons this season. Cunningham has unwavering composure, and it’s given Pistons fans a reason to believe that Detroit can lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the season.
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