Photo Credit: Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images.

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DEETROITTT BASKETTBAAALLLL!!!

After having just 14 wins last season, the Detroit Pistons have officially clinched a berth in the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season, a team led by Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. The Pistons currently have beaten their last season win total by 29, and they have the chance to end the season with 32, if they win out. A plus-32 win total would put them at second best ever, just behind the ’07-’08 Celtics, who had a plus-42 win total from the year before. Obviously, this Pistons team is breathing some rare air. It is their first playoff appearance in 7 years, and Pistons fans are starving for playoff basketball.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

As aforementioned, the Pistons had one hell of a season after the hell that was last season. Cade Cunningham exploded onto the scene with his best season yet, averaging 25.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game. He is one of just 2 players currently averaging at least 25/5/9, the other being Nikola Jokic, the reigning best player in the world. He made his first All-Star game, and has a real chance to be on the All-NBA first team, if not, he will definitely make the second team. It seems as though Detroit is getting what they wanted from the former first overall pick, as they have a budding superstar. It wasn’t just Cade who took a step though, as Ausar Thompson, Malik Beasley, Isaiah Stewart, Tim Hardaway Jr, Dennis Schröder, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren are all key reasons why the Pistons have taken a leap. Thompson, coming off of a scary situation with blood clots, upped his PPG from 8.8 to 10.1, his APG from 1.9 to 2.3, and his SPG from 1.1 to 1.7. He also upped his shooting percentages while taking more shots, going from a field goal percentage of 48.3% to 54.1%, and his 3-point percentage from 18.6% to 21.7%. Obviously, you would like to see more, but Thompson showed some flashes offensively, and has become one of the better defenders in the NBA at just 22 years old. Malik Beasley had one of the best years of his career, setting records for 3-point shooting, on one of his better shooting years while averaging 16.3 points on 42.9/41.6 shooting splits. He was easily the best pickup of free agency for Detroit, and hopefully he will be re-signed long term. Isaiah Stewart is having his best season defensively, although he isn’t scoring as much, it seems he is making more of an impact than ever. He is currently 11th in blocked shots with 1.4 per game, has one of the lowest opponent field goal percentages in the NBA at 46%, and he is the heart and leader on the defensive side. He is essentially the Pistons’ version of Draymond Green. The older guys, Hardaway, Schröder, and Harris have been key contributers as well, especially offensively. Hardaway averages 11.0 points while Harris averages 13.0 and Shroder averages 11.1. Obviously these guys aren’t among the leagues best, but they have thrived in their roles. Hardaway has had some great games with over 30 points, and has shown he is a great spot-up shooting option. Harris has been the leader of the group, the ‘Unc’ as he has been called, but he has been pretty productive too. He was brought in to be a veteran leader, while offering some scoring prowess, which he has. Outside of Cade though, Jalen Duren may have had the biggest step forward this season. While his averages don’t show it, the confidence and command he has on the court has gone up immensely. He has gotten better defensively, is shooting more efficiently, and his ability to get his guys the ball has really taken a step forward. He is only 21, so he will likely continue his progression. The Pistons seem to rely on physical defense this season, having the 4th-best at-rim field goal percentage, allowing just 45.9% of shots to go in. The Pistons currently rank 11th in points, 10th in rebounds, 13th in field goal percentage, 14th in assists, 4th in points allowed, 4th in blocks, 4th in steals, and 4th in defensive rating. Obviously, the Pistons offense is good, but they rely on their defense quite a bit more, and it is working.

PLAYOFF MATCH-UP PREVIEW:

The Pistons currently hold the 6th seed in the East, meaning, as of right now, they would be playing the New York Knicks in round one. There are still a few games left, but it is highly likely this is what we see come playoff time. There is a slight chance this changes though, as the Bucks are just 2 games ahead of Detroit, and they play each other the last 2 games of the season. There is a chance the Pistons will play Indiana if they can beat the Bucks in both games. However, there is a match-up with New York tomorrow that, if they lose, may solidify the 6-seed, where the Pistons will travel to Madison Square Garden for their first playoff game in over 7 years. It will be very hard for the current Pistons team to overcome the fire power they have in New York with Brunson, Towns, Bridges, Anunoby, Hart, and more. Ivey could be back, but he likely wouldn’t be 100%. Coming back from that type of injury is very hard, so I don’t see him making a huge impact right away if he plays. Currently, the Knicks rank 9th in scoring, 24th in rebounding, 4th in field goal percentage, and 2nd in defensive rating, making them a tough match-up for anyone. The Pistons will need an amazing team effort, and even then, it will be very hard. Detroit has needed better perimeter defense all season, so Brunson will likely give us fits. Towns will likely have his way as well, as we don’t really have anyone I would feel overly confident guarding him. Our best bet is Duren or Stewart, but both are relatively undersized, at 6’10” and 6’8″ respectively, it will be tough to guard 7’0″ KAT. Not only that, Towns is coming off of his best year yet, averaging 24.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field and 42.2% from three, so he is coming into this series as confident as ever. I don’t see the Pistons doing a great job to slow him down, with all of the other threats they have on the floor. Bridges will also cause some issues, but I feel pretty confident that Thompson will do a good job on him, but it would probably be a good idea to put Ausar on Brunson, as Ausar has the exceptional length and athleticism to slow Brunson down. I would feel a lot better about Thompson on Brunson and Cade on Bridges than I would the other way around. Brunson has averaged 26.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists on 48.9/38.2 shooting splits this season, making him a threat from anywhere on the court. He is not having quite the year scoring that he did last year, but that is to be expected when you add a player like Towns. Anunoby doesn’t really scare me on the offensive end, outside of his off-ball abilities, but what really worries me is his defense. I see OG causing a lot of issues for Cade with his physicality and length, and while he wont shut him down completely, it will be very hard for Cade all series. Hart is another guy who could do some damage on both ends, showing his off-ball and on-ball scoring abilities as well as his ability to guard all positions. The Pistons will have their work cut out for them, on both sides of the court. There is a chance that guys step up immensely. If Beasley or Harris average 25+, while holding the Knicks stars to less, we have a chance. Or, if the role players step up consistently and can out-score the Knicks bench, we have a chance. This game will essentially come down to rebounding, and ability to hit shots. If the Pistons can out rebound the Knicks, that would be the first step to winning this series. Defense and shot making ability are a given as well, as they are in every game, but the Pistons will really have to do all three at a high level to move on to the next round. Unfortunately, I just don’t think the Pistons have the defensive or offensive firepower to beat this Knicks team. I wouldn’t rule it out though, as it is possible the Pistons have the right game plan and make it happen, but the Knicks are clearly better on paper.

PREDICTION:

As I said before, it will be very hard for the Pistons to win this series. I personally would not be surprised if the Pistons got swept, or won in a 6 or 7 game series. Realistically, I think the Pistons will put up a fight, and make the fans proud, but it wont be enough. The Knicks just have too much for us right now, especially with Ivey not likely to play. It will just be too big of a task for Cade to carry us offensively, and I don’t see us being able to stop their stars. The Pistons would need a secondary scorer to average at least 20, while holding Towns under that. I just don’t see that happening consistently.

Knicks in 6.

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