Knicks vs. Pistons playoff preview

The Detroit Pistons will head to the Big Apple to face the Knicks in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. This Pistons squad is as tough as they get, and no love will be lost between the teams as they fight for the right to play either the Celtics or the Magic.

Starting with the 3-seed Knicks, they have been somewhat of a disappointment this year.

Yes, they had more total wins this year, but their flaw is obvious - against the NBA behemoths this year in Oklahoma City, Cleveland and Boston, they won zero out of ten games. However, against the rest, New York has been able to persevere.

This is exemplified by their win in Portland. In the raucous atmosphere of the Moda Center, on March 12, the Knicks and Trail Blazers battled it out.

In the dying seconds of overtime, Josh Hart committed multiple blunders in traveling on an inbound play and giving up an “and 1”, Mikal Bridges saved the day on a buzzer-beating three which brought out a rare double-bang from Mike Breen.

Switching gears to Detroit, the Pistons are a magical story. Last year, they were the laughing stock of the NBA, winning just 14 games.

Fueled by improvements in all aspects, they won 44. Cunningham, the leader of this Pistons squad, has totaled 31 double-doubles and nine triple-doubles. Ivey, Duren and Thompson also improved while the team’s toughness and grit have shown out.

This year, the Knicks’ only win against the Pistons was a 128-98 win in Detroit in November. New York’s entire starting lineup eclipsed double-digits in points, with Brunson’s 36 points and Towns’ 21 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists leading the charge.

On December 7, the Pistons beat the Knicks 120-111 in Madison Square Garden. This time, it was Detroit’s entire starting lineup eclipsing double-digits in points, led by Cunningham’s 29 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. Brunson’s 31 points and 10 rebounds were not enough.

On January 13, Detroit beat New York 124-119 in New York, with both New York and Detroit’s entire starting lineup getting double-digits in points, with Cunningham shooting 50% from three.

Detroit’s Malik Beasley was able to get his fair share from the bench, with 22 points and 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Brunson’s 31 points and 11 assists, Towns’ 26 points and 12 rebounds and Hart’s 14 rebounds did not do enough.

Cunningham showed his prowess against the Knicks again, only this time in Detroit on April 10. His 16-for-24 shooting from the field helped his point total reach 36 again. Once again, New York’s entire starting lineup eclipsed double-digits in points.

This season, Detroit shot 47.6% from the field, 36.2% from three and 77.4% from the line. However, when they played New York, Detroit shot 52.4% from the field, 41.3% from three and 82.3% from the line. It seems as if Detroit improves their game against the Knicks.

This series should be fun and scrappy. New York wants to make the conference finals for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, but they will have to go through a tenacious Pistons squad who look to be this year’s Cinderella.

Every game will be fierce and physical, which is what playoff basketball is all about. On Saturday at 6 p.m., this intense and energetic series will begin.

Jack Harrison is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jkh6603@psu.edu.