The New York Knicks are looking to use their offseason trades to make a deep playoff run in this season’s NBA Playoffs. But the Detroit Pistons are standing in their way. Detroit is coming off an incredible regular season turnaround from the previous season, with a record of 44-38. As for the Knicks, they are coming off their second consecutive 50-win season with a record of 51-31. Can the Pistons win a playoff series for the first time since 2008, or will New York advance to the second round of the playoffs for the second straight year?
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are coming off a solid regular season, with a record of 51-31. New York has been an above average offensive team all season long. They finished ninth in points per game, fourth in field goal %, eighth in three-point field goal %, fifth in free throw %, 11th in assists per game, third in turnovers per game, and fifth in offensive rating. New York is led by Jalen Brunson, who had another sensational season, scoring 26 PPG and adding 7.3 APG.
The power of the Knicks is their starting five. All starters averaged at least 13 points per game, and three averaged 18 or more points per game. Not many teams have that kind of high-end talent. Under head coach, Tom Thibodeau, we can expect all five starters’ minutes will be increased to a minimum 38-39 minutes per game.
Now on the defensive end of the court, New York has been below average. They rank ninth in points allowed per game, 22nd in opponent field goal %, 26th in opponent three-point field goal %, 29th in blocks per game, 13th in steals per game, 24th in rebounds per game, and 13th in defensive rating. It was bizarre because teams under coach Thibs have been hard-nosed defensive teams. What are some of the keys for the Knicks to advance?
One name comes to mind, Karl Anthony-Towns. He has impressed me how he tweaked his game and finished second in the league in rebounds per game. If Kat can be aggressive and the talented offensive player, he has the potential to be, that should push the Knicks past Detroit. The only red flag on him, is that sometimes his motor doesn’t run hot or hard enough. Thankfully he has an All-NBA teammate in Brunson to facilitate and score alongside him.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have been one of the surprising teams this season. Just a year ago, Detroit was the worst team in the league and this season they improved their record by 30 games, after finishing 2023-24 with a 14-68 record. That is a testament to their growth as a young team and the fantastic job head coach JB Bickerstaff did.
Offensively, the Pistons were an average team. They finished the season 11th in points per game, 13th in field goal %, 17th in three-point field goal %, 20th in free throw %, 15th in assists per game, 23rd in turnovers per game, and 14th in offensive rating. Cade Cunningham had a tremendous season. Despite being second in turnovers per game, he finished with 26.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 9.1 APG. He is definitely worthy of an All-NBA selection.
Detroit is a scrappy defensive team. They ranked 14th in points allowed per game, eighth in opponent field goal %, 25th in opponent three-point field goal %, ninth in blocks per game, 19th in steals per game, 13th in rebounds per game, and 10th in defensive rating. Jalen Duren controlled the glass for this team, finishing with 10.3 RPG which was good for 11th in the league.
The Pistons must love this matchup. They won the season series against the New York Knicks 3-1, including three straight. The X-factor for Detroit to me is Dennis Schroder. Dennis will be the menace in this series for Brunson. He can give the Pistons great minutes off the bench to facilitate the offense when Cade sits and get under the skin of New York. This series will be great.
Prediction
The New York Knicks’ high end talent will be too much for the Detroit Pistons and they take the series, 4-2. Despite the Pistons winning the season series, the Knicks are too talented on the offensive end of the court. If Cunningham isn’t lighting up the scoreboard, who can carry the bulk of the load scoring wise?
Detroit had a great season, and I will not take anything away from them. However, according to NBA history, these young teams get better, lose in the playoffs, then the following year is their jump year. The Knicks take this series and reach the second round for the second straight season.
