SI:AM | Cunningham Powers Pistons’ Statement Win

Detroit asserted itself as the best team in the East by beating New York for a third time.

DAN GARTLAND Good morning, I'm Dan Gartland. I'll be taking some time off once the Olympics are over, but Tyler Lauletta will have you covered on SI:AM all next week while I'm sleeping.  In today's SI:AM: 🥇 Gold for U.S. women's hockey 🥇 Gold for Alysa Liu 🥈 Silver for Jordan Stolz One-sided conference finals preview? Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images There should be little debate over which team is favored to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. The Pistons completed a season sweep of the Knicks on Thursday night with a 126–111 win at Madison Square Garden and improved to 41–13, neck-and-neck with the Thunder (42–14) for the best record in the league.  The key for the Pistons was, of course, Cade Cunningham. The star point guard erupted for 42 points (on 17-for-34 shooting) with 13 assists and eight rebounds. That makes him the first player in Pistons franchise history to have at least 40 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and five three-pointers in a single game. Cunningham also became just the third visiting player to have at least 40 points and 10 assists in a game at the current Madison Square Garden, joining Allen Iverson and LeBron James (who did it twice).  "He's a winner, man. He really is. Attitude, leadership, every day, the guy is special," Pistons forward Tobias Harris said of Cunningham. "I think more than anything, he wants championships, and that's a difference. There's guys who want to win MVP and guys who want to win championships." It was an impressive win for the Pistons, who have now not only beaten the Knicks in all three of their meetings this season, but have also beaten them handily each time. The Pistons won 121–90 on Jan. 5 and 118–80 on Feb. 6, both in Detroit.  CONTINUE DAN'S COLUMN ON SI Join the SI College Basketball Newsletter SI's college basketball newsletter delivers insider reporting and can't-miss stories on the biggest moments from across the country. From weekly previews to in-depth features, it's your essential guide to staying ahead in the world of NCAA hoops. CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE The best of Sports Illustrated Four years after retiring at 16, Alysa Liu radiated joy as she ended the Americans' 24-year women's Olympic figure skating gold medal drought, writes Michael Rosenberg.  Pat Forde captures the beauty of Megan Keller's game-winning goal and the drama of Team USA's comeback win against Canada as the Americans claimed their third women's hockey gold medal. Rosenberg details how Jordan Stolz's bid for four gold medals ended when he took silver in the 1,500 meters yesterday. The NFL offseason is about to get going, and Conor Orr has one bold prediction for every team. Tom Verducci traces Bruce Meyer's path to being named interim executive director and replacing Tony Clark at the MLBPA. Amid a flurry of public statements and legislative activity on Thursday, sources close to the Bears' stadium situation tell Orr the franchise's move to Indiana is increasingly likely. Rosenberg argues that LA28 chair Casey Wasserman must resign in the wake of his email exchanges with Ghislaine Maxwell for the 2028 L.A. Olympics to maintain its credibility.(Wasserman has not been charged with a crime, and there is no evidence he knew anyone had committed a crime at the time.) Patrick Andres identifies 10 players to watch in the HBCU Legacy Bowl this weekend. Get the print edition of Sports Illustrated delivered to your door. CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE! Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated 👀 The top five ... … things I saw yesterday:  5. Nikola Jokić's bold attempt to earn three free throws by chucking the ball at the basket from halfcourt.  4. Victor Wembanyama's dunk over two defenders.  3. Oriol Cardona Coll's victory in ski mountaineering for Spain's first Winter Olympic gold medal in 54 years.  2. Alysa Liu's flawless gold medal-winning free skate.  1. Every angle of Megan Keller's preposterous gold medal-winning goal.  The best of SI Video In the latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina, Ben Koo, the owner and editor of Awful Announcing, joins the show to talk about all things related to his website. The two talk about Awful Announcing's history, Koo's philosophy for what to post and not post, the dilemma in amplifying terrible people in sports media and more. Join the SI Boxing Newsletter Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix provides a weekly spotlight, featuring in-depth reporting and sharp commentary, on the biggest fights and stories inside the ring. CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE W We may receive compensation for some links to products and services included in this email. 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