The Detroit Pistons had the best record in the Eastern Conference for most of the season. They ride into the playoffs as the conference’s top seed after winning 60 games.
There’s still plenty of doubt whether the Pistons can live up to that status. Boston, with star forward Jayson Tatum back in action after recovering from an Achilles injury, is favored to reach the Finals. Cleveland, Detroit’s potential second-round opponent, has the second-best odds of coming out of the East.
As for the Pistons, they’re third on the odds boards, just ahead of the New York Knicks. So, the Pistons, who begin their first-round series at home against No. 8 seed Orlando on Sunday, have a right to feel underappreciated.
Truth is, the Pistons like being in that role.
“It doesn’t affect us at all,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “And that’s the best part about it. Our guys don’t live and die by other people’s expectations and comments. Our guys show up and live and die by playing Pistons basketball. And that makes it easy.”
His players seem to feel the same way.
“Everybody’s got a right to their own opinion,” forward Ausar Thompson said. “We don’t really worry about that. We believe not only can we come out of the East but win it all. We just focus on that, focus on ourselves and let everybody on the outside say what they’ve got to say.”
Detroit comes into the playoffs healthy. Star guard Cade Cunningham returned during the final week of the season after recovering from a collapsed lung. Isaiah Stewart also appeared in some late-season contests after recovering from a calf strain.
The short order of business for the Pistons is to win their first playoff series since 2008. They qualified for the playoffs last season but were bounced as underdogs to the more seasoned Knicks in a hotly-contested series.
Detroit finished the regular season with the third-best field goal percentage, despite being 17th in 3-point percentage. The Pistons are even more formidable at the defensive end, leading the league in steals and blocks.
The Magic know they will have to scrap for everything they get in the series.
“There’s a physicality to this game that’s going to be real,” coach Jamahl Mosley said of playing the top seed. “There’s going to be a lot of aggression. There’s going to be a lot of physicality. It’s going to be a dogfight.”
Orlando’s road to the first round wasn’t easy. Philadelphia defeated the Magic 109-97 in the matchup of No. 7 and 8 seeds, forcing Orlando into a do-or-die matchup with Charlotte. The Magic pulled a surprise with a dominant 121-90 thrashing of the Hornets.
Orlando led by 35 points late in the first half.
Star forward Paolo Banchero led the way with 25 points and six assists, bouncing back from a poor shooting night against the Sixers.
“Great players, you got to respond,” Banchero said. “That’s what they pay you to do. You can’t just settle for subpar performances, especially in situations like this, do or die, win or go home, got to show up for your teammates and set the tone.”
