The Detroit Pistons are in a surprisingly challenging position as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Play-In Tournament projects to be littered with strong teams that can give anyone they encounter a run for their money.
Though all eyes are understandably on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, it's the Charlotte Hornets whom the Pistons can most accurately call a nightmare matchup.
The Hornets haven't been to the playoffs in 10 years and are sitting below .500 at 29-31. With those factors in mind, it's difficult to worry too much about how the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference will hold up against a Pistons team that's on pace for 62 wins.
It's effectively been a tale of two halves for the Hornets, however, as they started the season at 11-23 and have since gone 18-8.
That alone would offer reason for intrigue, but Charlotte has reached a legitimately elite tier over the past month or so. Since losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 21, the Hornets are 13-3 and own victories over the likes of the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs.
Moreover, the Hornets rank No. 2 in the NBA in net rating at 11.0 during that time—trailing only the Spurs at 12.3 and sitting 1.2 points per 100 possessions clear of the Pistons.
Charlotte Hornets are No. 2 in the NBA in net rating over past 16 games
The optimistic take is that Charlotte could sustain this level of play until the end of the season and ultimately make the playoffs without needing to rely on the Play-In Tournament. The Hornets are just 4.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 6 seed and still have 22 games to play.
Charlotte is also just 2.0 games back of the No. 8 seed, meaning it could realistically be playing for the No. 7 spot and thus miss Detroit in the first round.
The reality is, however, that the Hornets still have an uphill battle and could ultimately encounter the Pistons in Round 1. In that scenario, a red-hot Charlotte side would encounter a Detroit team against which it has several advantages.
That includes the fact that while the Pistons rely on Cade Cunningham for a vast majority of their shot creation, the Hornets have a deep cast of scorers and playmakers they can turn to at any time.
The good news for Detroit is that it's 2-0 against Charlotte thus far this season, including a recent 110-104 win during the Hornets' surge. It was a gritty encounter, however, that saw resulted in a now infamous fight and several ejections.
With tension between the two sides and the Hornets on fire, there may not be a more entertaining first-round series than Charlotte versus Detroit. That simply may not work in the Pistons' favor.