The Detroit Pistons place at the top of the Eastern Conference seems safe for now, and until further notice, all expectations are that the East will run through the Motor City as long as J.B. Bickerstaff's squad isn't eliminated.
As a result, the Pistons' playoff fate will inevitably come as a result of the NBA Play-In Tournament, where Detroit will eventually find out their first-round opponent regardless if they're the first seed or the second seed in the East.
In previous years, being crowned as a top seed offered some major advantages, including homecourt advantage and a battle against a weaker opponent.
However, to the point of Rich Paul, those advantages aren't the same anymore with the competiion at the bottom of the standings at an all-time high.
And with the recent emergence of the Atlanta Hawks, it seems that there genuinely may be no right answer for the Pistons playoff hopes.
Pistons will have a tough first-round opponent
With the Charlotte Hornets recent rise over the last couple months, the narrative surroundiing the potential first-round matchups for the top was already going to offer a difficult challenge.
Now, with the recent Hawks 10-game winning streak, the talk surrounding a nightmare scenario for the Pistons continues to heat up.
Looking at the standings, all signs point to Detroit squaring off with one of the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers or Charlotte Hornets.
Any other year, only the Heat or 76ers would pose a threat of those names mentioned.
This season though, all four of those potential matchups will pose a challenge that Bickerstaff and the Pistons will almost certainly have their hands full with.
Miami offers a chess match against one of the best head coeaches in the NBA in Erik Spoelstra. The Sixers pose a threat with a dynamic backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecome; not to mention the headache Joel Embiid would offer.
Aside from those two teams, the surging Hawks and Hornets would be two young feisty teams that would take Detroit to their limits.
Detroit could turn this negative into a positive
There's no great scenario when it comes to the Pistons' eventual first-round matchup.
Detroit will be challenged, and the chances of a quick series to catch up on rest ahead of the second round has certainly decreased.
Still, great teams need to be tested, and if the Pistons are able to answer the call, while being challenged in round one, it could set them up to be more battle tested in the later rounds against teams like the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers or the New York Knicks, who have experience on their side.