Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks First Round Predictions
The Palace of Pistons staff predicts which team will come out on top in the first round matchup between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.
The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks meet in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in the three versus six seed matchup.
With a 44-38 record, the Detroit returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2019, led by All-Star and All-NBA candidate Cade Cunningham.
Staff members from Palace of Pistons made their final predictions ahead of the series beginning on Saturday, April 19th, at 6:00 PM on ESPN.
Our full playoff preview episode of the Palace of Pistons Podcast will release on Thursday morning. Follow us on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or whereever you get your podcasts to tune into our in-depth series preview.
Jake Rogers
The Pistons had a 3-1 regular season record against the Knicks.
In those four games, Cade Cunningham averaged 30.8 points, 8.3 assists, and 5.0 rebounds on 56.3 percent shooting and 52 percent from three. I highly expect the Knicks to blitz Cunningham and try to get the ball out of his hands as much as possible. However, New York will have to be careful to not overplay Cunningham and leave shooters like Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris open.
Additionally, I would not be surprised if head coach J.B. Bickerstaff played Cunningham off ball and allowed Dennis Schröder and Ausar Thompson to initiate the offense.
Detroit ended the year with the tenth best defensive rating in the league at 112.5, led by the aforementioned Thompson and Isaiah Stewart who held defensive ratings of 108 and 110.3, respectively.
It is going to be a chippy matchup, but a matchup I believe Detroit will fair well in. However, Detroit is a young and inexperienced team, coming off a season with their worst record ever of 14-68. Even though the Pistons will put up a fight, I expect New York to take this series 4-3.
Jake’s Prediction: Knicks in 7
Tim Forkin
I can’t tell you how weird it feels to log into this PoP roundtable. The last time I was in one of these…
Saddiq Bey was an extremely important piece of the Pistons makeup, and a tandem with him and Jerami Grant made me feel as if Detroit had found its wings of the future.
The Pistons were paying Blake Griffin to not be on the roster. And Dewayne Dedmon. And Kemba Walker. And Deandre Jordan. And Josh Smith, probably.
There were zero pathways to even imagining how the Pistons could possibly make the play-in, let alone the playoffs.
Well, as I sit here on my couch, LePuppy by my side, the Magic-Hawks play-in game illuminating my living room… the Pistons are firmly in the playoffs and set to face the glitzy New York Knicks in a 3-6 matchup. Game 1 is on Saturday. I will be seated.
Gone too soon was the PoP: After Dark podcast, but Zariq dropped a line to me that has been rattling around my brain since the matchup was finalized: “If you want to know how good the Pistons are, watch how they play the New York Knicks.”
It’ll get thrown around this roundtable but the Pistons pretty much took care of the Knicks at all points of their matchups this season. Cade goes god mode against them. What’s tough is that the Knicks have a team full of battle-tested playoff risers. Their insane starting lineup of Brunson-Hart-Bridges-Anunoby-KAT would play all 48 minutes of the game if they would let Thibs do it. And that lineup, on paper, is a nightmare for Detroit.
But we live in reality. And the reality is the Knicks can’t sustain even a 7-man rotation capable of playing the 48 minutes of defense necessary to win this series. Detroit has 9 playable guys and 4 of them are wings who are centuries better than Saddiq Bey. And another one just so happens to be the best player in the series.
Pistons in 6.
Tim’s Prediction: Pistons in 6
Aaron Johnson
Like Tim, I find it odd that I’m sitting here writing this post. Last summer, I thought the best-case scenario for the Pistons was 32–35 wins. That would have been a massive improvement, considering last season.
What the team has done has shocked everyone — except Ashton Da Trainer.
But here we are. The Pistons face the Knicks in a matchup that seemingly everyone in the online Pistons community was hoping for.
I’ll also say that I agree with Tim: I think Cade Cunningham is the best player in this series. Cunningham’s ascension has been well-documented by the national media this year, but if you’ve been watching the Pistons prior to this season, you already knew he was set to break out — if Detroit’s front office ever put actual NBA players around him.
That being said, the Knicks have the next four best players in the matchup: Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby. New York’s top six or seven guys are simply better than Detroit’s. The Knicks also have a ton of playoff experience — something much of Detroit’s core lacks.
This will be the first playoff appearance for Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ron Holland, Isaiah Stewart, and Ausar Thompson.
I think the Pistons can compete like hell in this matchup. I think they can test the Knicks. I certainly believe Detroit will win its first playoff game since 2008(!).
But in the end, I believe the Knicks will come out on top. New York wins this in a thrilling seven-game series that, while disappointing for Detroit, also sends a warning to the rest of the league: the Pistons are coming.
But hey — maybe I’ll be wrong, just like I was when I said Detroit would win 32 games this year.
Aaron’s Prediction: Knicks in 7
Mike Anguilano
J.B Bickerstaff in a first round series against the Knicks? Where have I seen this before?
I have some scar tissue from watching Tom Thibodeau thoroughly out-coach Bickerstaff. Those Cleveland Cavaliers wilted in the spotlight of Madison Square Garden and showed their youth: turnovers, poor offensive game planning, and not enough shooting. These Pistons have some of those tendencies, which gives me pause in picking them over New York.
On paper, the Knicks are a better team. They may not have the best player in the series (hello, Cade), but they are more complete. Brunson, Towns, Bridges, and Anunoby is a fearsome foursome that should present problems on both sides of the ball. Brunson and Towns are two of the best offensive players at their positions, and Bridges and Anunoby have the reputation as being defensive menaces on the wing.
Despite stumbling to close the regular season, the Knicks are a very good team. They finished with the sixth-best net rating, fifth-best offense, and 12th-best defense in the league. But they still underperformed this season. Or at least it felt that way.
The Pistons are an annoying team to play against because they have hustle, heart, and are relentless. Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson don’t jump off the box score, but they help win basketball games with their energy. Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. are dependable veterans who have been through the playoff meat grinder before. Malik Beasley has arguably been the best free agent signing on a dollar-per-production basis as a historically great three-point shooter.
And then there is Cunningham, the glue that keeps everything together. He gets to his spots efficiently and methodically, has good touch on any and all of his shots, and scores at all three levels. The Pistons will go where he goes, and the Knicks know this. New York shut off Donovan Mitchell’s water two years ago and forced anyone else on the Cavs to beat them.
They didn’t.
I would expect a similar game plan for the Knicks this time around too: force anyone but Cunningham to beat them. They have the horses to make his life miserable with stout defensive wings. If he gets shut down, how do the Pistons keep up? That is what worries me.
There are scenarios in which the Pistons take it in seven games, but it feels like a lot has to go right for that to happen. Cunningham is good enough to will the Pistons to at least a win or two, and their youthful spirit is probably good for another. But I will take the Knicks in seven because of their star power, home court advantage, and the personnel to quiet Cade just enough. It’s not a loss the Pistons should feel bad about - its the beginning of something great.
Mike’s Pick: Knicks in 7
Dyland Edenfield
The Detroit Pistons finally have a competitive playoff team capable of making some noise, but the New York Knicks are built to perform in the postseason. While Detroit’s offense almost always runs through Cade Cunningham, the Knicks have several scorers who can get a bucket when called upon.
New York doesn’t boast the lockdown defense they once did, but the trio of Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby concerns me. They’ll be sending the house to slow down Cade, and Detroit could struggle to find offense elsewhere.
Detroit has proven capable of defending the Knicks in their regular season matchup, but I also believe Karl-Anthony Towns could give the Pistons’ defense some fits if he’s hitting his outside shots. In the end, the Knicks are a veteran-laden team filled with playoff-tested talents hungry for a championship. Meanwhile, the Pistons are a team that shocked the world by even making the playoffs. As long as Detroit doesn’t get swept, it’s a win in my book. I predict New York beats Detroit six hard-fought matchups.