The Detroit Pistons are currently on pace to the NBA Playoffs. But who will be their opponent in April? What seed should the Pistons aim for?
At All-Star break, The Detroit Pistons currently sit at the 8th seed with a 26-30 record. They went into All-Star break winning 4 of their last 5 games. They are headed towards the right direction with their recent success in games.
With the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic right on their tail; the Pistons know that its winning time. They cannot afford to lose any of the winnable games against teams under .500. They’d also probably have to win some games that is favored against them.
I have a bold prediction on how the Pistons will finish in the final 26 games of the season.
So now that All Star Weekend is over. I can give my prediction on the rest of the Pistons season.
— Martin (@ImMartinHi) February 18, 2019
I think they go 17-9 the rest of the way. That means they will finish 43-39.
Now I made this prediction in hopes that the Pistons win every game against the teams under .500. Most likely it probably wont happen but with how Blake Griffin, Reggie Jackson, and Andre Drummond have been playing; I wouldn’t be surprised if they get almost the same record I predicted.
But that’s a different story for a different day. Lets just assume the Pistons make the playoffs. The farthest seeding wise they can get is 6th. All the teams from the 1st seed to the 5th seed are locked as a top 5 seed. The only thing those teams can do is fight for a higher seeding. Which team should the Pistons face in the first round?
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have been arguably the best team in the NBA this season. They currently sit 1st place in the East and 1st place in the entire league with a 43-14 record. They are led by NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis is currently a runner for the MVP award. Similar to Blake, Giannis works around the paint and is surrounded by a 4 knockdown shooters.
With the recent addition of Nikola Mirotic at the trade deadline; they added more knockdown shooting to surround Giannis with. They average 116.9 points per game; which ranks them 2nd in the league. They make 13.1 threes per game on almost 35 percent shooting.
The Pistons were swept in the season series versus the Bucks. They lost by an average of 14.5 points per game in those 4 games. The Bucks clearly have the Pistons number and the Pistons do not match up well versus the Bucks.
It’s best saying that the Pistons should look to avoid grabbing the 8th seed and should move upwards in the standings.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors sit 1 game behind the Bucks for the one seed. With a 43-16 record, they are led by superstar and defensive wizard Kawhi Leonard. They acquired Kawhi during the summer in a trade that sent DeMar Derozan to the San Antonio Spurs. This was an obvious upgrade for the Raptors. And it has shown all season that it was the right move.
The Pistons have only played the Raptors once this season. They had an impressive comeback win at Toronto. The comeback was fueled by an awesome defensive minded Stanley Johnson. Stanley had completely shut down Kawhi in the 4th quarter to help the Pistons win the game.
The Raptors are obviously better than the Pistons. But the Pistons might have had the chance to take at least one game from the Raptors come playoff time. Those chances flew out the window when the Raptors traded for big man Marc Gasol.
Marc Gasol was acquired by the Raptors in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas. A clear upgrade in that position, the Raptors are serious about winning playoff games. Gasol has given the Pistons fits before. He always tends to hurt the Pistons defensively and offensively.
Even with the addition of Gasol, the Pistons traded their only player capable of guarding Kawhi in Stanley Johnson. So from a series that the Pistons could have potentially stole a game from; to a series that the Pistons absolutely no chance in. The Pistons should avoid the 7th seed.
Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, or The Philadelphia 76ers
The Pacers, Celtics, and 76ers will all be competing for the 3 seed. The Pacers currently sit at number 6 with a 38-20 record. The 76ers and Celtics sit 1 game behind the Pacers for the 3 seed. And Boston has the tiebreaker over the 76ers for the 4 seed.
The Pacers sit at the 3 seed without their best player in Victor Oladipo. Oladipo suffered a season ending injury at the end of January. Though they have continued to play solid basketball in the time without him; many are predicting that things could change as time continues.
Playing without their go-to guy in the playoffs could become a problem. Losing the first game of the playoffs could completely shatter the team’s confidence. That being said, the perfect opportunity for the Pistons would be hoping for the Pacers to end the season as the 3 seed. They could go into the playoffs with a huge confidence boost if they find themselves facing an Oladipo-less Pacers team.
The Boston Celtics are also a team the Pistons shouldn’t be mad about meeting in the first round. The Celtics are a great team when Kyrie Irving plays. And even without him, they still find ways to win games.
They went to 7 games in last years playoffs against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their young guys got plenty of playoff experience last year. But with Kyrie becoming a free agent this off-season; the Pistons could look to put pressure on the Celtics. The Pistons stealing a game at Boston in the first round could cause some turmoil on the Celtics end. Kyrie could get distracted with him thinking about his future with the team. It’s unlikely that the Pistons win this series. But they could make the series extremely competitive and interesting for viewers.
And the team with the biggest move at the trade deadline; The Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers made a huge splash at the deadline by acquiring Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic. Tobias helps fill out their super team starting lineup of Ben Simmons, J.J. Redick, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid.
The Pistons were crushed during the regular season against the 76ers. They won 1 of the 4 meetings. And the only game they won was the game Blake Griffin went off for a career high of 50 points. The 76ers did not have Jimmy and Tobias during that game. The 76ers are clearly making a run for the NBA Finals. The Pistons have a zero percent chance of winning a game against the 76ers; neither to stay competitive in the series.