The Detroit Pistons can win the Eastern Conference.
I’m not talking about five years from now or even two, the Pistons can win the East as soon as next season, and I don’t think that’s hyperbole.
After the Knicks beat the Celtics to take a commanding 3-1 lead the night after the Pacers did the same to the Cavaliers, it’s clear that the East is wide open and there’s not really a favorite.
The Pistons may end up taking the Knicks deeper in the series than the juggernaut Celtics do, and after winning over 60 games, the Cavaliers look like they are going to fall to the Pacers, who the Pistons went toe-to-toe with all season.
The Knicks and Pacers are better teams than the Pistons right now, but will they be after another offseason? That’s debatable. The Pistons are at least in the mix with the best teams in the East and are in better shape moving forward than almost any team in the conference.
Not a concern
Washington Wizards
Chicago Bulls
Charlotte Hornets
Atlanta Hawks
One of these teams could make a surprise leap like the Pistons did this season, but as of right now, they are either bad or trapped in purgatory with no easy way out.
They shouldn’t be a threat to the Pistons, at least in the short term and you could easily see at least three of these teams being flat-out bad again next season.
Could reset fast
Philadelphia 76ers
Brooklyn Nets
Toronto Raptors
Orlando Magic
Miami Heat
All of these teams either have talent, cap space or ways to get better in the offseason. Philly just needs to get healthy, and it won’t hurt that they now have the third pick in the 2025 draft to add young talent to their roster.
The Nets have a ton of cap space this summer and plenty of draft assets to throw around. The Raptors have some young talent and are never bad for long, so expect them to bounce back somewhat next season.
The Magic are a scorer or two away from being a title contender and I hope no one tells them.
The Heat are the Heat and won’t be bad for long either, so any of these teams could jump into the playoff conversation, but it’s not a given and all have significant challenges.
On the downward slide
Milwaukee Bucks
Boston Celtics
The Bucks could be on the verge of a rebuild if the Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors are to be believed. Even if they manage to keep Giannis, they have no real path to improvement with an aging roster and zero draft assets. If the Bucks run it back, you could see them dropping out of the playoffs.
It’s too early to bury the Celtics, but there are definitely chinks in the armor of a team that looked poised for another title this season.
The Celtics’ play style suddenly looks ineffective in the playoffs, as they shoot so many threes that they either blow a team out or get blown out, often in the same game. They have no Plan B, which seems like a big problem for a 60+ win team.
Now Jayson Tatum is hurt, they are down 3-1 to the Knicks and are staring down a $500 million tax bill this summer if they don’t make some trades. We could see Boston blow up their roster around Tatum and Brown, and I don’t think their future at the top of the East is as guaranteed as it once seemed.
Big questions
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs won’t have JB Bickerstaff to blame if they flame out in the second round again, and even after looking so dominant in the regular season, Cleveland looks entirely mortal in the playoffs. Again.
If this team can’t get out of the second round, even after hiring savior and Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson, then they may have to ask some tough questions this summer, namely if their two-big experiment that worked so well all season is a viable strategy in the playoffs.
The teams to beat..for now
New York Knicks
Indiana Pacers
The Knicks and Pacers are both set up for the near-term future, as they both have most of their rosters locked into place for the next few seasons.
The Pacers will have to figure out how to keep Myles Turner but otherwise, they have a balanced roster that might be the perfect model under the new CBA, where you need two stars and a bunch of good role players.
The Knicks could easily backslide next year, but they too are set up with young-ish veterans and a strong core to build around.
But here is the question: After the Pistons took the Knicks to six games, four of which came down to the final shot, a series that required a blown call by the refs for the Knicks to win, do you really think there’s a team in the Eastern Conference Detroit can’t beat?
I’m not saying they will beat any of these teams next season, only that I won’t be shocked if they do, as the Pistons are the only one of the group made up almost entirely of young players who are 23 or younger and had never been to the playoffs.
While some of the veteran teams suddenly look vulnerable, the Pistons look like the up-and-coming youngsters ready to take over and they have a clean payroll, cap space and full control of all of their future draft picks.
The NBA finally has the parity it craved and it’s great news for Detroit, as the East looks winnable as soon as next season if they continue to develop and add the right players this summer.