The Detroit Pistons are happy to finally be getting some national spotlight next season, when they’ll have 16 nationally televised games instead of just four last season. One of these is a big game during NBA Rivals week, but the NBA’s choice for the Pistons’ rival is a bit confusing. Instead of a more traditional Eastern Conference rival, the league will feature the Pistons vs the Rockets.
Of course, I can see the marketing appeal of Pistons-Rockets. Ausar and Amen Thompson are two of the most explosive athletes the league has ever seen, and the NBA loves to push a good sibling rivalry. That much is obvious because Cavs-Hornets is also a featured game of Rivals week solely because Lonzo and Lamelo Ball play on those two teams.
But the reason that Rivals Week has failed to take off is that the NBA often pushes manufactured “rivalries” for the sake of marketability rather than organic rivalries. There were definitely other options for the Pistons’ matchup which could reveal some real animosity.
The Detroit Pistons' real rivals aren't the Rockets
The first team that comes to mind is the New York Knicks. They beat the Pistons in the playoffs last season after duking it out for six close games. It wasn’t just the closeness of the series but also the style of play - extremely physical with lots of non-called fouls - that led to tension between the two teams.
Another team that has had bad blood with the Pistons is the Pacers. These two are naturally division rivals with intense historical battles between the franchises. But this rivalry isn’t just historical - it lives on in the current players too.
The Pacers have made lots of enemies in the last two seasons with their deep playoff runs and Tyrese Haliburton’s heelish antics. But perhaps no other team gets in their heads as much as the Pistons. Last season, multiple games between the two involved physical altercations, often spurred by Isaiah Stewart, and technical fouls/ejections.
Finally, two rising rivals for the Pistons could be the Magic and Hawks. All three teams are projected to be in fierce competition for spots 3-5 in the East next season, and have similarly aged rosters that can compete for years to come. There is also potential for some fierce individual rivalries, as Paolo Banchero and Trae Young are often compared to Cade Cunningham.
Of course, it’s always great to see the Pistons get some love from national media. But it would have been even more ideal for Rivals Week to highlight some of the team’s fiercest competitions rather than a marketing scheme with an opponent from the other conference.