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DEFINING: 4-OT test of wills at Chicago helped shape identity of SVG’s 2nd Pistons edition

(Editor’s note: The Pistons snapped a six-year playoff drought and improved by 12 wins over Stan Van Gundy’s debut season, finishing 44-38. We’ve identified the five most significant wins – significant for a variety of reasons – and are reviewing them over the course of the week. Today: A four-overtime win at Chicago in December that defined the Pistons as a team that would never quit fighting.)

Stan Van Gundy already suspected he had a resilient team by the time the Pistons pulled into Chicago for their Dec. 18 game with the Bulls.

A month earlier, they’d come back from a six-game Western Conference road trip on a four-game losing streak and had to tip off against Cleveland about 36 hours after touching down. They spotted the Cavs a 13-point lead in the second half – then came back to win.

But there would be no doubting the mettle of this team after their night in Chicago, which encompassed 68 minutes of basketball stretched out across four overtime periods and 3 hours 24 minutes of real time. The 147-144 decision in favor of the Pistons counts as their most...

DEFINING WIN