DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Pistons won their first home playoff game in 18 years, bringing playoff energy back to downtown Detroit and capturing a new generation of fans.
The victory marks the team's first home playoff win since 2008, prompting the "Detroit Basketball" chant to echo through the streets of metro Detroit once again.
Watch Brett Kast's video report below:
"I was telling my son here, they haven't won a championship since I was in seventh grade, his age right now," Vance Johnson said. "To see the change and as much as we went through in turmoil and us having bad teams and things like that, just to see the change, it’s really cool."
Even before the game, fans flocked downtown. With the warm weather and the Detroit Tigers also playing at home, bars like Harry's Detroit felt the impact. Steps from Little Caesars Arena, Harry's is one of many downtown businesses set to benefit if the Pistons make a run.
"It's great. It’s everything to us. Being so close to LCA, we really rely on the events, and having the Pistons in the playoffs has been a game changer for us," said Ashley Kull, a manager at Harry's. "Whenever we can fill up both floors and fill up the outside, we know it’s always a really good day."
As downtown and all of Detroit root for the Pistons, there is hope this series in Detroit won't be the last. The Pistons return to Orlando for the next two games and will be back for Game 5 on Wednesday.
"Go back to Orlando, win those next two games, come home up 3-1, finish it off," Cayden Luchies said.
"If they go to the second round, I'm rooting for it, cheering for it, it’s going to be awesome," Damian Fernandez said.
—————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
