The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks are tied up 1-1 in the playoffs, and one NBA legend doesn’t think they can break Detroit.
On April 24th, the Eastern Conference First Round will head to Motor City. There, the Detroit Pistons will host the New York Knicks. The sixth seed Piston tied the Madison Square Garden series thanks to Cade Cunningham’s masterclass and stole a home court from the favourite Knicks.
Heading into the series, some experts gave Piston a decent opportunity to confuse the Knicks, but New York has always been a betting favorite.
The Pistons would have been simply excited about the prospect of creating a play-in tournament after winning only 14 games last season.
“House money” was a term thrown away to describe the Pistons’ playoff appearance. In a shocking postseason berth, the Pistons are definitely not to lose as they have established themselves as the dominant team of the future.
“Now, they may not feel the pressure the Knicks feel because of expectations, but when they get closer to the end of the series, they will feel it,” Steve Nash said.
“Their cycle as a team is faster than the Knix. They have three or four years in a league that hasn’t yet won stripes and scars in the playoffs. Now he’s an elite player.
With a 21 and 33 outing in his first two playoff games, Cunningham established himself as a superstar, but the Pistons ultimately did an incredible job surrounding him with complementary talent.
“The important players around them, a lot of them are young guys,” Nash continued. “Now they have got some vets, Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway, but that’s a rising team.
“So it’s house money in honor, but as long as they’re talented enough. If they haven’t found a way to play, under Coach Viccal Staff where they like, they can win the series.
Regardless of how the first round progresses, the season was a huge success for Detroit. First-year head coach JB Bickerstaff and freshman GM Trajan Langdon have finally given Detroit basketball a culture worth celebrating. If teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, and perhaps the Knicks, come down next season, the pistons are expected to be postseason staples.
After he broke his leg, Piston was better without Jaden Evie in the lineup. With Ivey suddenly exhausted and working with some draft capital, the Pistons could become a major player this offseason.
Langdon and Bickerstaff spent the season shaping the pistons into their best destinations, and basketball finally returned to Motor City, and no matter what happened in the upcoming game, they weren’t going anywhere.