Two games into their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Detroit Pistons officially have the dominant playoff version of the Pistons they’ve been looking for. They’re up two games to none over Cleveland, not to mention winning five straight playoff games. This is the version of this team that fans expect to watch take it all the way to the NBA Finals, and Detroit is finally playing like they’ll pull it off.
The Detroit Pistons Finally Gain The Playoff Team They Wanted
The postseason got off to a rough start for Detroit. In the first round, they quickly found themselves down three games to one and on the verge of elimination. As Tobias Harris said, the Pistons were playing too casually, given the seriousness of the situation.
He wasn’t wrong. Detroit showed up in the postseason without any sense of urgency. Maybe it was because they were a little overconfident, having finished the regular season as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Maybe the bright lights of the playoffs hit them a little harder than the team expected. Or maybe they underestimated the Orlando Magic. A lot of people did.
Regardless of why Detroit almost ended up on golf trips to Cancun, that’s what happened. It was Game Five at home in Little Caesars Arena, and Detroit needed to win the biggest game of their season so far. That’s exactly what they ended up doing.
The Pistons Go On a Rampage
Everything changed with that Game Five victory. More than staving off elimination, Detroit delivered their best postseason performance of the postseason. They played with a level of confidence and purpose that had been missing in the first four games of the series. That continued through their last two faceoffs with the Magic, ending the series with a historic comeback victory.
That success has continued into the second round. The Cavaliers had their own tough first-round battle against the Toronto Raptors that went seven games. Now, they find themselves in an even more difficult fight against the Pistons.
Detroit has handed Cleveland two decisive losses to start their series. That means the Pistons have now won five straight games in the playoffs across two series. When Detroit basketball fans saw their team finish the season as the number one team in the East, this was the kind of domination they were expecting from Detroit. It remains to be seen if the Cavaliers can figure out how to deal with it.
Taking It All the Way to the Finals
The Pistons flipped the switch as a team. Harris called them out, and everyone picked up the pace. Cade Cunningham is leading Detroit in points and assists per game, while Jalen Duren is their top postseason rebounder. Ausar Thompson is a defensive nightmare, topping everyone in both steals and blocks per game. Then there’s Harris, who has found an entirely new gear in the playoffs.
While the Cavaliers should never be counted out, it’s hard to see them staging a comeback. The Pistons are flat-out playing better basketball as a team than Cleveland, which is looking a little disorganized and confused on the court against Detroit’s defense.
There is still a lot of basketball to play in this series, as Detroit needs two more games to put it to bed. And it’s unlikely that the Cavs are going quietly. Still, Detroit is now playing the kind of dominant postseason basketball their fans were looking for after such a great regular season. Now, they just have to keep the pace up, and they could end up facing the Thunder or Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Featured Image: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
