{"id":133608,"date":"2025-04-17T18:25:30","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T22:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=133608"},"modified":"2025-04-17T18:25:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T22:25:30","slug":"pistons-embrace-underdog-mentality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/17\/pistons-embrace-underdog-mentality\/","title":{"rendered":"Pistons Embrace Underdog Mentality Ahead of Knicks Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year in the NBA playoffs, one underdog defies expectations. This spring, the Detroit Pistons<\/a> believe it\u2019s their turn. Their seven-game series against the New York Knicks tips off Saturday night, and after winning the regular season matchup 3\u20131, the Pistons confidently enter the postseason.<\/p>\n

In recent years, teams like the Jimmy Butler<\/a>-led Heat (2023, 2020) and the Trae Young<\/a>-powered Hawks (2021) have turned heads with unexpected runs. With a defensive identity and a rising star in Cade Cunningham<\/a>, the Pistons have the tools to follow suit\u2014and maybe even shake up the entire Eastern Conference. But to do that, they\u2019ll need to make an early statement. Can the Pistons\u2019 regular-season dominance over the Knicks fuel a postseason upset?<\/p>\n

Pistons Embrace Underdog Mentality Ahead of Knicks Series<\/h2>\n

Lean On The Veterans<\/h3>\n

Ten players on the Pistons\u2019 roster<\/a> are set to experience playoff basketball for the first time. With Jaden Ivey\u2019s<\/a> status still uncertain<\/a>, the remaining nine rookies-to-the-postseason could see meaningful minutes\u2014six of them are expected to play key roles. The pressure can mount quickly for a young team stepping under the brightest lights of the season. That\u2019s where the Pistons\u2019 veterans come in.<\/p>\n

Tobias Harris<\/a>, Dennis Schr\u00f6der<\/a>, Malik Beasley<\/a>, Paul Reed<\/a>, and Tim Hardaway Jr.<\/a> bring a combined 240 games of playoff experience. They\u2019ve been in hostile arenas, weathered momentum swings, and delivered under pressure. When the game starts to tilt or the energy gets frantic, it\u2019ll be on those veterans to settle the group, slow the tempo, and lead by example.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s Harris offering poise in half-court sets, Schr\u00f6der controlling pace, or Beasley spacing the floor with timely threes, Detroit\u2019s seasoned voices could be the difference between growing pains and growing up fast.<\/p>\n

Pistons Grit or Knicks Glory?<\/h3>\n

Under the playoff spotlight, it\u2019s easy for players, especially young ones, to try to do too much. But for the Pistons to defeat the Knicks and make a deep run, every player must lock in and stay within their role. There\u2019s no room for hero ball or straying from what got them here.<\/p>\n

One of the defining traits of this Pistons team has been its collective buy-in. Players have embraced their roles all season long, whether setting hard screens, crashing the glass, or making the extra pass. No one has tried to be more than what the team needs.<\/p>\n

Credit goes to J.B. Bickerstaff and his staff for building that culture. Through trust, structure, and accountability, they\u2019ve created an environment where doing your job isn\u2019t just expected\u2014it\u2019s respected. And come playoff time, that mindset could make all the difference.<\/p>\n

Play Under Control<\/h3>\n

This one\u2019s directed squarely at Isaiah Stewart<\/a>: stay locked in. Don\u2019t let the playoff energy pull you out of character. Stewart has become the emotional heartbeat<\/a> of this Pistons squad\u2014an enforcer, a tone-setter, and a leader by example. But with that reputation comes a target<\/a>. Officials are watching. Opponents will poke and prod. In the regular season, there were moments where Stewart\u2019s intensity crossed the line, putting the Pistons in tough positions. In the playoffs, those mistakes could be costly.<\/p>\n

The Pistons need his fire\u2014they need his ability to battle in the paint, absorb tough minutes when Jalen Duren<\/a> is off the floor, and bring that edge that fuels this team\u2019s identity. But there\u2019s a fine line between controlled aggression and emotional overdrive. Dust-ups will happen\u2014it\u2019s playoff basketball\u2014but Stewart has to pick his spots wisely. His presence is too significant to risk losing over a reaction.<\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/h3>\n

The road ahead won\u2019t be easy, but nothing about the Detroit Pistons\u2019 journey has been. This team wasn\u2019t built on hype but on grit, growth, and belief. As the playoffs begin, the Pistons stand at the edge of an opportunity to rewrite the narrative.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve got the talent. They\u2019ve got the toughness. And they\u2019ve got a group of veterans who know what it takes when the lights are brightest. If each player stays grounded in their role, trusts the system, and plays with poise\u2014especially in the heat of the moment\u2014there\u2019s no reason this team can\u2019t be the one that shocks the league.<\/p>\n

The Pistons don\u2019t need to be perfect. They need to be themselves. And if they do that, they might keep that yearly playoff tradition alive by becoming the team nobody saw coming. To do that, it starts with a series victory against the New York Knicks\u2014a challenge that will demand focus, resilience, and belief from start to finish.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Photo credit: \u00a9 Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every year in the NBA playoffs, one underdog defies expectations. This spring, the Detroit Pistons believe it\u2019s their turn. Their seven-game series against the New York Knicks tips off Saturday night, and after winning the regular season matchup 3\u20131, the Pistons confidently enter the postseason. In recent years, teams like the Jimmy Butler-led Heat (2023, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5168,"featured_media":135035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,10,62],"tags":[4704,3965,2380,4432,293,343],"class_list":["post-133608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-pistons","category-nba","tag-ausar-thompson","tag-cade-cunningham","tag-isaiah-stewart","tag-jalen-duren","tag-malik-beasley","tag-tobias-harris"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133608"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135036,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133608\/revisions\/135036"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}