DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – What a difference a year makes.

A year ago, Detroit was finishing up with just 14 wins. In less than a week, they will be playing in the NBA playoffs. They clinched a berth for the first time in the NBA playoffs since 2018-19 and are the first team in NBA history to triple their win total from the season before.

MORE NEWS: Some Urban School Districts Suffer Huge Exodus of Students Over Last 25 Years

The historic win for Detroit came on Friday night in a 117-105 win over Toronto. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, “It’s a big deal. We typically don’t take time to reflect on where we are, but this is an opportunity for this group to reflect on where it is, where it’s come from, and what it’s been able to accomplish together. To turn it around the way they have and put themselves in this position to play in the postseason, it’s a big deal.”

Jalen Duren commented to ESPN.com, “People doubted us. They didn’t believe. They thought it would take longer for us to turn this thing around, but we’re here. We’re not done yet.”

Detroit has a chance to finish fifth or sixth in the division coming down to the final weekend of play. Several tiebreaking scenarios could take place with the outcome vs. the Milwaukee Bucks. If Detroit can clinch a no. 6 seed, they avoid a play-in round and have five to six days off.

Bickerstaff says, “There’s opportunity for us to hold seed, opportunity to move forward. We’re not in position as a newly formed group that we can start taking time off and being disruptive to what we’ve built. Our aim for these last few games is to be playing our best basketball so when we get to the playoffs we’re comfortable with where we are.”

Detroit will face New York on Thursday night in what could be a preview of their playoff series. They play the Knicks at 7:00 p.m. and then face the Milwaukee Bucks twice to end the season.