Every NBA playoff team tries to cultivate an “us vs. them" mentality as they look for an emotional edge over their opponent and the Detroit Pistons will be no different this year.
In the case of the Pistons, it is largely true, as no one picked Detroit to make the playoffs and most “experts” had them topping out at under 30 wins (I went a little higher), which was fair given they were fresh off the worst season in franchise history.
And even with their shocking renaissance, few people outside of Detroit are giving them a chance to win their first-round playoff series against the Knicks.
I already wrote about a few things the Pistons have going for them, one of which was having no expectations going in. They have no real pressure to win, as they have already defied expectations and people will be happy with this season no matter how it ultimately turns out.
I’m sure the players don’t feel that way and that JB Bickerstaff will be pushing the “Detroit vs. Everybody” angle, some emotional fire that can make the team nobody believes in very dangerous.
He’ll have plenty of material for the bulletin board, as none of the experts think Detroit has much of a chance against the Knicks even after beating them three of four times this season.
ESPN experts all pick against the Detroit Pistons
ESPN recently polled a panel of experts and asked them to give predictions about every first-round series.
All 10 of those polled picked the Knicks to win the series, though seven of the 10 did predict the series would go at least six games.
It’s clear they are throwing the regular season head-to-head record out the window, as the Knicks were the better team all season, have home court advantage and have more playoff experience.
These are all fair points, and if I’m being completely honest, I’d be. happy if the Pistons made this a competitive series even if they ultimately come up short. Becoming a playoff contender was the first step and the Pistons got there sooner than expected, so I’m going to walk away happy from this season.
But it’s also not crazy to think the Pistons could win this one.
Why the experts could be wrong
Home-court advantage may not matter much in this one, as the Pistons have identical home/away records and have been comfortable playing on the road all season. We’ll see if that changes in the electric atmosphere of the playoffs, but for a young team, the Pistons have handled the pressure well so far.
The Pistons’ core may be young, but they do have plenty of guys with playoff experience, including Dennis Schroder, Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed and Malik Beasley, their most important veterans.
I’d also add that the Pistons aren’t afraid of the Knicks after beating them three times this season. Cade Cunningham has torched New York, and the Pistons aren’t going to be intimidated or (hopefully) lured into costly emotional outbursts like they might have against the Bucks or Pacers, who had their number all season.
I’m not here to make predictions, and who knows, the experts may be right, but I am surprised that not a single one of them picked the Pistons to upset the Knicks, something I am certain Detroit will take note of.