The city finally has an exciting Pistons team to cheer for after spending the last several seasons as an NBA punch line.

Why it matters: The Pistons are gaining respect within league circles and among fans who remember championship teams in 1989, 1990 and 2004.

By the numbers: After last night's 134-106 win over the Jazz, Detroit (35-27) already has more wins this season than the last two combined (31).

• Former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham is averaging career highs in points (25.3), rebounds (6.2) and assists (9.4).
• He and Denver's Nikola Jokić are the only two players averaging at least 25 points and nine assists this season.

State of play: If the season ended today, the Pistons would make the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

• Their last playoff appearance was in 2019, when they went 41-41 and got swept by the Bucks in the first round.

Catch up quick: Detroit made big changes last offseason after finishing with the league's worst record.

• The franchise parted ways with general manager Troy Weaver and coach Monty Williams.
• In their places are former New Orleans Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon and J.B. Bickerstaff, who previously coached the Cavaliers.

Between the lines: The Pistons are winning with tougher defense and improved shooting from new faces on the team like Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.

What they're saying: "I'm happy for the city but I'm not satisfied at all," Cunningham recently told reporters.

• "The city wants championships — we're slowly building toward that."

The intrigue: Detroit's recent success has come without Jaden Ivey, who broke his fibula on Jan. 1.

• He began weight-bearing activities last month and continues to rehabilitate.

What's next: The Pistons play at the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday at 10:30pm.

• It's the second of a four-game West Coast swing.
• They play at Golden State on Saturday and at Portland on Sunday.

A car-sharing pilot program in Corktown is exploring whether rental cars delivered by remote drivers could help improve transportation access for residents.

Why it matters: Many don't have access to a car, and with limited public transit, this can mean missed medical appointments, limited job opportunities and even difficulty getting groceries.

• Uber can be expensive, and car-sharing companies like Zipcar require large, distributed fleets.

Tele-operated carshare could be more convenient, by enabling people to summon a car from a vehicle depot on demand.

• An empty car would come to you, then you'd hop in and drive away. When you're finished, a remote driver would guide it back to a depot.

Zoom in: Corktown Carshare, operating in Detroit's Transportation Innovation Zone (TIZ) near Michigan Central Station, is a partnership between Sway Mobility and Mapless AI.

• It's funded by the state's Office of Future Mobility and Electrification and NextEnergy.

Reality check: For now, the pilot is extremely limited. There's just one vehicle operating in a 2-square-mile area in Corktown, and participation is limited to a small group of early testers.

• But it's typical of the types of mobility experiments under way at Michigan Central's Newlab innovation hub.

How it works: The test car — an electric Kia Niro — is outfitted with four cameras and a roof-mounted lidar system.

• The cameras provide a 360-degree view around the car to a remote driver controlling the vehicle in Pittsburgh, 300 miles away.
• The "driver" is sitting at a desk, with four video monitors, a steering wheel and pedals for acceleration and braking.

Read Metro Detroit-based Axios mobility reporter Joann's experience

🏛️ The Detroit Association of Women's Clubs, a nonprofit near the DIA, is among the state's 11 new entries to the National Register of Historic Places. (Detroit News)

⚽ New jerseys for Detroit City FC pay homage to the Lions and Pistons. The home goaltender jersey was inspired by the retro teal Pistons jerseys, while the away goaltender jersey has a Lions-esque colorway. (WXYZ)

🚘 More and more crashed cars are getting totaled, leading to higher replacement costs and higher insurance premiums. (Axios)

Holland, Michigan's Dutch heritage takes center stage in a new movie starring Nicole Kidman.

The big picture: In "Holland," Kidman plays a teacher with a picturesque family living in the West Michigan city known for its longtime Tulip Festival, with thousands of blooms on display, a parade and traditional Dutch outfits and dancing.

• Her perfect life "tumbles into a twisted tale," per a press release, and she and a colleague begin to unravel long-kept secrets.
• Matthew Macfadyen and Gael García Bernal also star.

Reality check: The R-rated film is set in Holland, but only a small part of it was shot here, per the Free Press. Most filming took place in Tennessee.

How to watch: "Holland" streams on Prime Video starting March 27.

President Trump issued an executive order last weekend declaring English the official language of the United States.

Why it matters: More than 350 languages are spoken in the "melting pot" of the U.S., but this is the first time the U.S. federal government has declared the country to have a single official language.

• About 22% of people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, according to the Census Bureau.

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