Some Potential Pistons First-Round Matchups | The Weekly Drive
The Pistons are not only going to make the playoffs, but probably will be the top seed in the conference.
Good morning Pistons fans, and welcome back to the Weekly Drive. The Pistons are guaranteed to make the Play-In Tournament, and all but certain to be a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference. Yes, Detroit will have at least one (and more than likely several, if not all) series with home court advantage.
Time for some playoff planning. Lets get into it.
The Closest Competition
While the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture is in constant flux, the top is less so. The Pistons are the top seed and, barring a catastrophic injury, are more than likely will keep it. Detroit has enough of a lead on New York, Cleveland, and Boston to maintain the top spot.
I would be surprised if a team caught Detroit and overtook them for the number one seed. Even with suspensions for Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, coupled with some rest for Cade Cunningham here and there, the Pistons have shown they are good enough to win games even while missing key players. There is no reason to believe that will suddenly stop being the case, especially with more teams tanki…err…strategically not winning games.
Possible First-Round Matchups
Miami Heat
If the season ended today, Detroit would (probably) be playing Miami in the first round. The Heat have the reputation of being an annoying team to play against with several playoff-tested players and arguably the best coach in the league in Erik Spoelstra. Tyler Herro has been a certified Piston-killer, but he has spent most of the season injured. The two squads have split the season series (both three-point wins for each team) and have one more game on March 8th.
The Heat have the fifth-best defense in the NBA right now and live in the paint on offense behind a two-big lineup with Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware. But their best lineups are actually a one-big lineup with either Andrew Wiggins or Simone Fontecchio (remember him?) at power forward and Adebayo at center. Not exactly scary, even when running things optimally.
Miami are on pace to play against the top seed for the second-straight year, and were crushed last season despite having the same “always tough” moniker. The Pistons are deeper and have the best player in the series by a considerable margin.
What to Watch for: Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart against Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware
Charlotte Hornets
Given the recent fight that resulted in four players being suspended, there is clearly some bad blood between these two teams. That being said, I am all-in on this as being the most fun potential first-round series in the league.
The Hornets have the reputation of being a bad team, and their record is not tremendous, but they are a very fun group. LaMelo Ball may be empty-stats at times, but his playmaking and crafty ball-handling could swing a game. Brandon Miller, another certified Piston-killer, is growing more and more confident. Kon Kneuppel is on pace to smash rookie three-point shooting records. I could see a feisty, all-or-nothing Hornets team make the Pistons sweat a bit. But not enough to win the series.
What to Watch for: Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart against Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges
Atlanta Hawks
The darling of the NBA offseason for the acquisitions of Nikeil Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porzingis has endured a tough season, and proceeded to get more and more weird after trading Trae Young for C.J. McCollum and Corey Kispert. Jalen Johnson is perhaps the most underrated star in the league, a triple-double machine who operates as the team’s offensive hub. But there are some real concerns with their offense without a true table-setting point guard like Young, but the Hawks have been a much better defensive team with him not on the floor. Give and take deal there.
Detroit should win a series against the Hawks, and fairly easily at that. But there is enough defensive firepower and Jalen Johnson star potential for Atlanta to win a game.
What to Watch for: Cade Cunningham against Dyson Daniels
Orlando Magic
The other trendy playoff pick this past summer is also enduring a tough season. That doesn’t mean the Magic are going to be a pushover come playoff time, but their offense is the bottom-third of the league and their three-point shooting is third-worst. In fact, look at any offensive metric and the Magic are more than likely near the bottom of the NBA in it.
Orlando’s acquisition of Desmond Bane (yet another Piston-killer) has not panned out, but I suppose that could change in the playoffs. Bane has been one of the best three-point shooters in the league (not this season, so far) and has enough size to man-up on defense. Anthony Black has turned a corner on both sides of the ball and has a case for Most Improved Player. Franz Wagner is still looking for a playoff cleansing after going 1-15 from the floor two years ago in a winner-take-all against Cleveland.
But the real reason Orlando hasn’t made the expected leap is because Paolo Banchero has not been good enough. He is an inefficient scorer and a bad free throw shooter despite getting to the rim a ton. The Magic have a ceiling high enough to make the Pistons sweat, but their floor is getting emphatically swept in four games.
What to Watch for: Cade Cunningham against Paulo Banchero
Who do you want the Pistons to face in the first round of the playoffs? I don’t think it really matters who they play, but there are some good matchups regardless. The Hornets would be the most fun, but the Magic can cause some problems if they find a way to get healthy and gel together. But, again, the Pistons should maul whoever they play to start the playoffs. Imagine saying that sentence two years ago.