On a recent episode of the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast, Tim Bontemps said it would be "basically unprecedented" for the Detroit Pistons to go from last year's playoffs, where they won two games, to winning three series in 2026 to advance to the NBA Finals. Does that mean fans don't think it will happen? Absolutely not.
Detroit has spent most of the season at the top of the East, where New York and Cleveland were supposed to be. The 41-13 Pistons have a 5.5-game lead over the No. 2 Celtics, and a seven-game lead over the No. 3 Knicks, a team they once again routed on Thursday night.
Last year's playoff experience will help Detroit this season, but one concern Bontemps raised was the Pistons' young players' limited postseason experience. They know what it's like to be on that stage, but it was just the first round. How much will that factor in how they fare in a couple of months?
Do the Pistons have what it takes to be the last team standing in the East?
The playoffs are a completely different beast than the regular season, but that doesn't mean you can discount what Detroit has done this far, and more so, the turnaround that the organization made over the past couple of years.
There aren't many people who thought the Pistons would make it to the postseason in 2025 after finishing with a league-worst 14-68 record. No one thought they'd be one of the best teams in the league less than two years later.
Detroit is at a point now where it won't merely be satisfied with another trip to the playoffs, or even a series win, although it'd be its first since 2008. The Pistons have far bigger goals now, and while they've proven they're a different team than they were, they can solidify it in the postseason.
It feels like the only true threat to Detroit in the East is Boston (and maybe Cleveland now), and that would be especially true if Jayson Tatum returns. The Celtics have championship experience. The Pistons can't write off the Knicks, either, not even after owning them during the regular season. Boston learned that last year.
Detroit isn't just focused on Boston or New York, as it may not meet either until the conference finals. Based on the current standings, the Pistons would have to make it past the No. 8 Heat (who would have to secure their seeding first in the play-in). Overlooking Erik Spoelstra and Miami would be a mistake. If they won that, they'd have to play either Cleveland or Toronto in the semifinals.
Even as a Detroit fan, you should be able to at least understand (even if it's just a little bit) where Bontemps is coming from, but you should also know that this team is capable of clawing its way to the NBA Finals, led by MVP-candidate Cade Cunningham.