This Saturday marks the beginning of the Detroit Pistons' championship quest against the New York Knicks. The first round of the NBA playoffs starts this weekend, and the Pistons have an opportunity to shock the basketball world this postseason.
Detroit's young core has never tested the grounds of NBA playoff basketball. This appearance will serve as a useful measurement of their development as a franchise. Despite the postseason inexperience, the Pistons are riding major momentum heading into their matchup after tripling last season's win total with a 44-38 record.
The Knicks are currently favored in the series, according to FanDuel odds. Three signature wins for the Pistons were against the Knicks this season, fueling that confidence heading into the playoffs. The Pistons might be underdogs, but they do have some key advantages that could favor an upset against the Knicks.
Best player of the series
New York has three All-Star caliber players on their roster with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges. However, the Pistons could have the ultimate trump card with superstar point guard Cade Cunningham. The Knicks had a tough time containing Cunningham in the regular season and could face that same problem in the playoffs.
Cunningham put together an All-NBA caliber regular season, averaging 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds. Some of his most notable performances came against New York when he averaged 30.8 points, 8.3 assists, and five rebounds in four games.
The Knicks will likely double Cunningham as often as possible to get the ball out of his hands. This would not be new territory for the Pistons' primary decision maker. Cunningham was doubled the fifth most of all players in the league and has faced this kind of attention throughout his entire career.
Head coach J.B Bickerstaff has been creative enough to maximize Cunningham's skills, even without the ball in his hands. Detroit has capable ball-handlers on the roster who can get their franchise player scoring opportunities off-ball. Cunningham is versatile enough to counter what the Knicks throw at him and should be a major part of Detroit's plan this series.
Scoring versatility
While plenty of responsibility lies in the hands of Cunningham, the Pistons can attack the Knicks with many other options. Double-teaming Cunningham will create plenty of looks for other scorers to take advantage of in a variety of different ways.
Cunningham has established himself as one of the best playmakers in all of basketball, and he has teammates to help validate that. The Pistons' improved shooting needs to be a big factor against the Knicks' defense. Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Tobias Harris can overwhelm New York as secondary scorers for Detroit. If they heat up and stay consistent, the Knicks will have to remove that extra attention from Cunningham, creating more one-on-one matchups.
The offensive production of the Pistons' frontcourt can be a deciding factor. Breakout center Jalen Duren has made a lasting impression as a dynamic lob threat for Cunningham. Duren has also established himself as one of the best rebounders in the league, including on the offensive glass. The Knicks ranked 24th in rebounding and could have their hands full limiting Duren, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, and Ron Holland on the boards. The Pistons can also put extra pressure on the Knicks with transition scoring, where they ranked second in the NBA during the regular season.
Detroit is capable of countering the doubles that will be sent at Cunningham thanks to their extra ball-handlers. Thompson and backup point guard Dennis Schroder should have plenty of reps facilitating the offense. Using different options to run half-court sets will take a lot of pressure off of Cunningham.
The Knicks rely heavily on their starters for generating their top-ten scoring attack, while the Pistons have many options. Their offensive versatility and youth should help them outlast the top-heavy Knicks in a seven-game series.
Defensive depth
Detroit's defense is one of the staples of its team's identity. While the Knicks have plenty of talent on their roster, the Pistons have the defensive versatility to match it.
Brunson and Towns are the main initiators of New York's offense. The Pistons' defense is led by their ascending defenders who are capable of defending the perimeter and the paint. Stewart was able to limit Towns to 2-of-7 shooting in the second half of the last matchup between the Knicks and Pistons. Stewart's defensive effort helped turn the momentum of the game in Detroit's favor.
The Knicks did a great job of protecting the basketball and limiting turnovers. If the Pistons want to generate transition buckets, they'll have to use their depth to apply pressure and force mistakes from New York.
The veterans have provided some of their best defensive production of their careers for Detroit. They will be called on to keep that same intensity to slow down the Knicks' stars.
The Pistons do not have many areas to expose defensively as long as they are disciplined. New York could prey on Detroit's inexperience to get them into foul trouble. As long as the Pistons are able to avoid the whistle, they should have a real chance to upset the Knicks.
