DETROIT – The Detroit Pistons are gearing up for their first-round NBA playoff matchup against the New York Knicks, their first appearance in the postseason since the 2018-19 season.
The Pistons and Knicks will open the potential seven-game series on Saturday (April 19) at 6 p.m. inside Madison Square Garden.
Players and coaches, including center Isaiah Stewart, were energized and excited about the matchup as the Pistons were locked in during Wednesday’s practice.
“Oh, man, we’re very excited. Today’s feel was more so that everyone was focused, locked in, and paying attention to details. So that was pretty much the focus and the vibe of today.”
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart
The Pistons finished the regular season on a two-game losing streak and losers of four of their last six games with a 44-38 record, which was thirty games more than their output from the 2023-24 season as they finished 14-68 and a 28-game losing streak mixed in between.
Although the Pistons ended the season on a sour note, they’re still playoff-bound.
However, unlike the Knicks, who’ll have plenty of celebs sitting in the front row, they are not getting the respect they deserve as a franchise, which Stewart said he is used to.
“We’re ready to show the world and show people on that stage what Detroit basketball is all about, how we play, how we operate. You know, how we get it done.”
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart
Although MSG and the Knicks brand are global, the Pistons went there this past season and won twice, including snapping their 16-game losing streak against the Knickerbockers.
“I mean, you know, those are two good wins for the regular season.
But you know, we’re not banking on any of that, you know, feeling good about any of that, because at the end of the day, they’re a good team, you know, they’re a good team.
And, you know, we still got to come into their house and try to win some games. So, we’re not really worried about those past two wins. We’re more so focused on how we can get these new wins.”
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart
The Pistons snapped their 16-game losing streak to the Knicks by defeating them 120-111 on Dec. 7, 2024, jumping out to a 39-23 lead inside MSG.
All-Star guard Cade Cunningham had a 29-point, 15-assist, and 10-rebound triple-double in the dismay of the fans of the Knickerbockers.
Potential sixth-man of the year Malik Beasley dropped 23 points off the bench while Jaden Ivey chipped in with 16 points to help snap the team’s three-game losing streak.
Cunningham’s fifth triple-double of the season was a trey, but the Knicks played without Towns in that matchup as he was dealing with a sore right knee.
Detroit returned to MSG on Jan. 13, 2025, and won 124-119 to extend its winning streak against New York to two games.
The Pistons were led by Motor Cade, who scored 36 points while shooting 4-8 from beyond the arc, but his final two possessions were memorable.
Once Cunningham got cooking, the Knicks threw two bodies at Cunningham in the game’s final seconds, causing him to give up the ball, leading to a former Knickerbocker, Tim Hardaway Jr., drive and kick to a wide-open Beasley corner three to take a 121-117 lead with 39.1 seconds left.
Then, up 121-119 with the shot clock under nine seconds and the game clock under 16 seconds, the Pistons ran the same flare screen they ran previously, except this time, instead of a drive and kick, Hardaway Jr. got the pass from Cunningham, set his feet for a wide-open three-pointer, drawing the defender, causing him to swing the ball to Beasley for another dagger corner three to take a 124-119 lead with 6.3 seconds remaining.
Beasley, who finished with 22 points, hit his wiggle to the dismay of the New York fans.
Detroit took the season series 3-1 after defeating the Knicks 115-106 inside Little Caesars Arena on April 10, 2025, after trailing by as much as 13 points.
Cunningham had 36 points and eight assists in the matchup, while Brunson returned from an injured ankle to finish the game with 15 points while missing 10 of 15 shots in the defeat.
Tobias Harris scored 17 points, Ron Holland II added 13 points, and Jalen Duren had an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double in the victory in front of the home fans.
Speaking of playing at home, Detroit will host its first home playoff game in six years.
Depending on how games one and two go in New York, the Motor City will be rocking inside LCA, which has been starving for playoff basketball.
“We have the best fans.
You know, we have the best fans in the world.
So we look forward to bringing playoff basketball back. Me, personally, this is my first year experiencing this, so I know it’s going to be crazy at LCA, and we all look forward to it.”
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart
Being in the playoffs means a lot to Stewart, who is playing in his fifth year, not only in the league but also with the Pistons.
Beef Stew’s presence on the court will be reminiscent of the original Detroit Bad Boys with Rick Mahorn and Bill Laimbeer or the 2004 team with Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace manning the paint, especially in the playoffs.
“The playoffs are when things get chippy.
You know, they let you play physical, and you know they’re not calling as much. So I think that brand of basketball is perfect for playoffs.
So, like I said, it’s my first playoff environment. So, I get to figure that out and get a good feel for that on Saturday when we face off.”
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart
Playoff matchup history
The matchup between these historic franchises will not be their first time seeing each other in the playoffs.
They played against one another 33 years ago and were both in the first round.
New York, led by Patrick Ewing, Mark Jackson, John Starks, Xavier McDaniel, Gerald Wilkins, and Charles Oakley, took game one inside MSG 109-75.
The Pistons, led by Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Laimbeer, Mark Aguirre, John Salley, and Orlando Woolridge, split the first four games of the then five-game series before falling 94-87 in game five in front of the Knicks faithful.
Before 1992, the Knicks and Pistons met two other times, with the Pistons winning in five games in the 1990 Eastern Conference semifinals and the Knicks winning the first-ever playoff matchup in five games in the first round of the 1984 playoffs.
That said, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will look to prepare his version of the Bad Boys for the Knicks matchup.
Stewart says he and his teammates respect him because he is an honest person.
“Well, being honest, you know, and that’s one thing I respect about J.B., which is, you know, he’s honest.
He’ll shoot you straight.
So, you know, he came in the door shooting everybody straight, you know, not selling no story and, and I respect that, and no, I think that helped us all as a team.”
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart
J.B. Bickerstaff
Bickerstaff told the media about resetting the team’s purpose as they prepared for Game 1.
“The purpose is to be very intentional, to be very clear. You know, not to overdo it, but give guys the amount of information that they need so that they can be prepared for what the next couple of days will look like as far as practice goes.
You know, these sessions are going to be longer like. As coaches, we love this moment, the opportunity to, you know, hone in on one opponent and take, you know, multiple days to prepare.
Give our guys opportunities, you know, to learn how to study, learn how to prepare for these, you know, series, ask questions, all those things.
So, we want to make sure we use our time wisely. But, you know, dive in a little deeper.”
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
Bickerstaff said he hoped that the two-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks, in which they battled for the No. 5 seed, would have prepared them for the actual playoffs.
Well, the Pistons lost both games, leading to a season sweep against Milwaukee, but the plan is to play back-to-back games while making adjustments.
The team goal was to go out with a plan, make adjustments, and execute the plan, which was helpful for the Pistons’ young core, which, in his mind, prepared them for the moment.
“I think it all starts with your habits that you form from the very beginning of the season.
And if you fall back on your training and fall back on your habits, you give yourself a chance.
You know what you can’t control is what it looks like where you’re going. You know, playing on the road in your first playoff game like those are things that you can’t control.
As a coach, we, you know, our guys will see what it looks like, you know, we’ll show them what it looks like. We’ve got video edits. We’ve got clips of, you know, what the playoffs feel like, the things you can do more of and get away with in the playoffs, and all those things.
So we’re getting, we’re going to give as much information as we can to prepare them, but there’s always that fine line of, like, we’re not trying to create any extra anxiety either, you know, and just being able to put them in positions where they can be themselves and go out and be successful.”
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
Beef Stew mentioned that having veterans on the team was important to creating a nice balance with the young guys and guiding them through playing in the playoffs.
But adding guys like Dennis Schröder, alongside Tobias Harris and Hardaway Jr., would show the composure and poise needed in intense playoff moments.
“Just composure and poise. You know, focus on attention to detail. You know, routine like, you know, all the things that may not necessarily happen on the floor yet but lead up to success on the floor.
And then when you do get on the floor, like understanding the moment. You know, understanding what your impact is and how important limiting mistakes are and making sure that, you know, those veteran guys are leading the way in those areas.”
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
This Pistons team is full of grit and determination, which is what Detroit, as a city, has been built on.
Cunningham spoke about how being in the city for an extended period of time causes it to rub off on residents in general.
Being blue-collar is being strong in Detroit, which Bickerstaff believes comes from being a winner.
“I mean, it’s been that way as long as I can remember. Again, I grew up watching the Bad Boys play.
You know, you think about the city of Detroit, the people from Detroit, you know, Nothing’s ever easy, right? It’s all hard-earned and some mindset of a workmanship mentality.
And I think, you know, again, we try our best to connect our guys to the fan base, and that’s what our fans want to see, is they want to see, you know, a team that they can relate to, and that’s what our guys are, you know, like what we do, we do for our fans, there’s no doubt about it.
And so, you know, when you want to reflect the image of this city, and you want to earn the respect of this town, like you have to be that way, I think our guys have bought into that.”
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
There have been talented teams, but they usually don’t have the legacy to follow their game.
On the other hand, Cunningham, along with Duren and Ivey, is building a winning culture surrounded by toughness, which has been missing on the hardwood over the past couple of years.
However, Bickerstaff and his coaching staff have brought back the impact of winning, leading to a winning culture.
“I mean, again, all that stuff comes with winning, right? And you can be as talented as you want to be and as good as you want to be, but if you don’t impact winning, you’re not going to get the recognition that you know you probably deserve or want.
And I think what Cade has shown this year is that he impacts winning in a high and a highway, you know? I mean, he’s an All-NBA player in my mind, for sure.
And those players don’t come on teams that don’t win basketball games.
I know what Cade wants to be and what he aims to be, and those players that are at that level, they win, and that’s why, you know, I think he deserves everything that he’s gotten, and I know how hungry he is, and he’s pushing for more.”
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
Cade Cunningham
Cunningham is stepping into his role as not only the leader of the team and franchise while wearing NBA Champion head coach Chuck Daly’s retired No. 2 jersey.
But he’s proving year by year that he is the man to fill those massive shoes.
Cunningham is on the verge of making the All-NBA team, becoming the first Pistons player to achieve such success since Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.
He made his first All-Star game this season and is entering his illustrious career’s first playoff series against a Knicks team in which he’s had immense success this season. He expects them to have a defensive game plan for him.
“I have an idea of how they’re going to game plan and switch things up.
But once we get to the moment, we’ll see and adjust from there. But yeah, just trying to make sure we’re as ready as possible for anything that might come.
I’m looking forward to playoff basketball. It’s something I’ve always dreamt of.”
Detroit Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham
Playing in Madison Square Garden under the bright lights in New York City, which some say is the mecca of basketball, is every basketball player’s dream.
Cunningham and his teammates will have the bright lights shine on them for games one and two.
“I played in the Garden. I know what the Garden feels like, and so I’m going in there with an open mind.
I’m not shying away from anything. I’m not blocking out any possibilities. But at the same time, I played there before, I played the game before, and I think I have everything that it takes to do what I like to do on the court.
So we’ll see when we get there, and I’m ready to go.”
Detroit Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham
Trajan Langdon
Bickerstaff mentioned how Pistons’ President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon came into the organization that went 14-68 and built on the structure by adding key pieces and a coaching makeover that has gotten everybody on the same page.
“I mean, he’s he’s very principled, he’s very secure, and he cares about the people that are around him.
And when you work with somebody like that, it makes your job easier, and it gives you the want and the belief to buy in.
And that’s what he’s created, is a place where you know the environment is awesome.
You know his leadership is amazing, and you buy into whatever you know direction he wants to go, and then he allows you to be yourself while you do it.
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
Langdon said he wants Bickerstaff to be happy and the Pistons to be prepared to play in a hostile environment.
“I would like to see J.B. be happy and us to be further prepared. We had a light day of prep yesterday, a little bit heavier today (Wednesday).
We’ll go a little bit more live tomorrow (Thursday), from what I’ve heard.
But as long as he feels that we’re on the road to preparation for Game 1 in a tough, physical series in a hostile environment, then I’m happy.”
Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon
Langdon said the moment was surreal. He remembers telling everyone to stay patient last June, which was pretty funny as his vision for the Pistons came to fruition.
“I said something to somebody the other day that this still feels a little bit surreal. Given, you know, I’ll always look at that area over there as the area that I did the press conference, you know, early last June.
So, to be here after I told everybody to stay patient is pretty funny. So, I hope that doesn’t change people’s mindsets going forward, but it’s been an incredible year. So happy for the players, the coaching staff has put in hours of hard work getting these guys to where they need to be.
But honestly, the organization, the fans, and the city of Detroit deserve this, and they’ve been waiting for this. So I’m happy for that, and excited for our guys for this year.”
Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon
Having three coaches in three years is a difficult pill to swallow for players who are being built and taught different philosophies but fall short of reaching their goals.
Players learning three different systems in the long term can stunt a young player’s growth as they turn into veterans, which is why Bickerstaff’s turnaround has been monumental for the franchise.
“I think the quickness that as a group, they were willing to embrace what J.B. was asking them to do, probably something that surprised me.
I knew we had a lot of talent, but at the end of the day, we had to learn to embrace each other and learn how to execute on both ends of the floor to win games at the end.
So it’s one thing to be close, it’s another thing to execute and actually put, you know, a mark in the win column.
So for us to be able to do that and start doing that as early as December was much earlier than expected.
But then, just to prolong that, we were able to keep getting better and better and better as the year went on.
And that’s one thing that we wanted to do. As I said, earlier be better in December than we were in October, and then be better in March than we were in December. So I think that’s one thing we did do, just a lot better than I expected.”
Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon
Although the Pistons are unfamiliar with the playoffs, they have a bunch of dawgs on their team, representing the city of Detroit.
Yes, the Knicks have more star power.
Detroit will be getting key reinforcements back, like Ivey, who is scheduled to return sometime during this potential playoff run.
Without Ivey, the Pistons are at least 10 deep, including the starting five: Stewart, Schröder, Simone Fontecchio, and Marcus Sasser, to name a few.
Look for the underdog Pistons to take a bite out of the Big Apple with Game 1 scheduled on April 19 inside MSG at 6 p.m.
