This is an amazing time for sports in Detroit. Not just for fans.

But the players.

Late Monday night, after a Tigers victory over the San Diego Padres, the TVs in the Tigers clubhouse in Comerica Park were tuned to the NBA playoffs, as the Pistons played the New York Knicks in Game 2 in Madison Square Garden.

Justyn-Henry Malloy, the Tigers outfielder, sat on a leather couch, facing the TVs, nerves twisting in his gut, knowing what it feels like to play in the postseason, knowing what it feels like to have that kind of pressure.

Against the wall, Kerry Carpenter was at his locker, head turned, watching intently, and he screamed with excitement as Dennis Schröder hit a 3-pointer with 56.3 seconds left to give the Pistons the lead, 97-94. 

“Give him the ball!” Carpenter screamed, walking toward the TVs, looking like, well, just about any sports fan in the Motor City.

“Bang!” Malloy yelled.

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Malloy exhaled and started celebrating, as the Pistons hung on for the 100-94 victory, their first playoff win since 2008, snapping a 15-game playoff losing streak.

“I was pumped,” Malloy said Tuesday afternoon.

The good news for the Tigers?

They have an off day on Thursday and several players, as well as Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, plan to go to Game 3 in Little Caesars Arena.

“I love where Detroit sports is at and it’s a blast being a part of a number of teams who are bringing thrilling sports moments to the city,” Hinch said on Tuesday. “This city deserves it, these fan bases – the majority of them overlap, in different seasons and different times of year, all get to enjoy these thrilling moments.”

And yes, these pro athletes become fans.

“We quickly become Lions fans, Pistons fans and Wings fans when we joined the city, and I love that our players are all in on it,” Hinch said. “They’re all making plans to go on Thursday. We have an off day. We’ll have a strong contingency there. I’m going to be there because when you’re all in on the city, these moments matter. These moments are remembered by fans and by players and these experiences stand out, specifically here in Detroit, because of how cool of a sports town this is.”

Yes, Hinch saw it last fall when the Tigers played in the playoffs at the same time the Lions were having a fantastic season on the way to the playoffs.

Now, as the Tigers are playing some great baseball, the Pistons are playing in the postseason.

“I’ve seen it now firsthand because we played in playoff games,” Hinch said. “But I feel it in the winter, during the Lions season. I’m feeling it during the Wings season. I’m feeling it during this Pistons run and I’m pretty proud to be part of the fabric of this city.”

Part of the fabric of the city.

That’s what these players have become. That’s what these teams are.

It’s like one giant rebirth.

“It’s awesome,” Carpenter said. “I’m a huge die-hard sports fan in general. So, it’s pretty cool to be an adopted Detroit sports fan now.”

Malloy has been to about six Pistons games this season – some in Detroit, one in Atlanta.

“I’m a big NBA fan; I’m a big Pistons fan, and it’s just cool to watch,” Malloy said.

There is a part of him that watches as a fan.

But there is another side of him.

“You can kind of relate in certain ways with those guys,” Malloy said. “Obviously, it’s a different sport, but you relate to the work and you relate to the atmosphere. I played in a playoff atmosphere last year. I know the emotions, the anxiety, the excitement that goes with that type of game. So it’s almost like I’m riding right there with them, knowing how it feels, knowing all that stuff.”

But there is something more. It’s something that ties these teams together.

It’s the Lions grit. And it’s these gritty Tigers, who made an improbable run last season. And it’s this Pistons team that has climbed from the cellar, an improbable journey of its own.

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“What I love is the resilience of that group,” Malloy said about the Pistons. “It’s very similar to kind of what we went through, going through some struggles, but to see them turning a corner and struggling one year and then having real success the next year, I can relate to that from a personal level and on a team level.”

Yes, that’s the part that unites all of them.

Understanding what it takes to go from the struggle to the success.

“Being able to kind of see that their growth from last year to this year, and to see the city’s growth too, with all those sports, it’s kind of like a sports revival in the city,” Malloy said. “So it’s cool to be here.”

So, yes, the Tigers will be rooting for the Pistons on Thursday night.

Because they are all part of the same fabric.

Cut from the same cloth.

Gritty. Resilient. And wanting to win for the D.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff