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Detroit has a checkered past with No. 1 picks, but there have been big hits, too

Detroit’s “Big Four” professional sports teams — the Lions, Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers – have combined to win 22 championships over the past 120 years. And though it’s hard to believe, considering the city’s recent playoff drought — the last postseason victory by any of the four, a 2-0 win by the Wings over the Tampa Bay Lightning came on April 17, 2016 — they’ve rarely ended up on the completely opposite end of the competitive spectrum: Picking first in their drafts.

Perhaps that’s why Tuesday night’s reveal that the Pistons had won the NBA draft lottery was so surprising.