DETROIT – The NBA playoff series is tied between the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks, so here’s what the Pistons need to do to win Game 3.
Home Court Advantage
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The Pistons will take on the Knicks at Little Caesar’s Arena for Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs, as home court advantage is the first and most obvious key to victory.
The Detroit fanbase has eagerly awaited a team that the city can be proud of.
This team embodies Detroit’s tough and gritty nature through a physical, blue-collar style of basketball.
This year, the Pistons put together one of the greatest turnaround seasons in NBA history.
They finished with a record of 44-38 after a 14-win season in 2023-2024 that included a 28-game losing streak, the longest ever in a single season.
The Pistons also became the first team in NBA history to triple its win total from the previous year.
Going from NBA obscurity to playing prime-time NBA playoff games has ignited a surge of excitement among Detroit fans.
The hype around the Pistons will only continue to grow as this team and fan base gain confidence. The team won its first playoff game in 17 years in game two vs. the Knicks, and now many fans believe that the Pistons can win the series.
I expect the Detroit fans in Little Caesar’s Arena to be loud and buzzing with excitement, similar to the Lions’ home playoff game against the Rams in 2023.
The raucous home crowd can boost the energy of the Pistons players, allowing momentum to rise exponentially when big plays happen.
The Pistons finished the regular season with a 22-19 record at home.
Be the more physical team
The next key to victory for the Pistons is to remain physical on both ends of the floor.
Detroit has played a physical style of basketball, along with defensive intensity and effort on the boards, all season long. New York struggles to deal with physical matchups.
The Pistons dominated the rebound battle in the first two playoff games. In game one, they grabbed 37 boards to the Knicks’ 36, and in game two, they grabbed 48 rebounds to the Knicks’ 34.
Pistons forward Tobias Harris has done a solid job on Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns is a skilled big man who can shoot from deep, but he isn’t the most physical. Harris kept Towns smothered on the perimeter and didn’t allow blow-by lanes.
Pistons center Jalen Duren established a physical interior presence in game two, scoring 12 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks.
He bounced back from a subpar game one and will look to continue his interior dominance.
The Pistons have a 17-15 record when Duren has a double-double.
The team’s physicality needs to be especially prevalent when defending Jalen Brunson, the engine of the Knicks’ offense.
Even though Brunson seeks contact on offense, he doesn’t like the matchup against ,, who can guard him with athleticism and anticipation.
Despite scoring 34 points in game one and 37 points in game two, Brunson had to work very hard for it due to the Pistons’ physical defense.
Making Brunson work harder on offense can wear him down over the course of the game, making him fatigued and less effective by the end.
The Knicks’ offense largely comes from Brunson creating in isolation, but I question how sustainable that is if Thompson can wreak havoc on the defensive end without fouling.
Play without fouling
That leads me into my next key for the game, which is to play without fouling. Playing physical defense can often lead to foul,s but the Pistons have to find ways to stay on the floor.
Through the first two games, the referees are letting both teams get away with a lot of contact, which plays into the Pistons’ hands. However, the Pistons must remain wary of Brunson’s ability to draw cheap fouls, specifically against Thompson.
Brunson repeatedly baited Thompson into fouls, which caused him to foul out in game two. Half of the fouls called were undeserved, but as Detroit’s best on-ball defender, Thompson needs to be smarter about how he plays Brunson.
Cade Cunningham has to be him
The most important key to the Pistons’ offense, Cade Cunningham, must appear in full form. The NBA playoffs are where stars are made, and so far, Cunningham is emerging.
In Cunningham’s first playoff game, against the Knicks, he scored 21 points on 8-21 shooting and 12 assists.
It wasn’t a bad game by Cunningham, but the result showed that he has to be dominant for the Pistons to win.
Cunningham followed game one with 33 points on 11-21 shooting in game two. He got to his spots in the paint all night, which helped him get to the free-throw line, finishing 10-12.
Cunningham is the primary playmaker and scorer for the Pistons, so the team will rise and fall with his play.
If he has an off night, the Pistons would need to be that much better defensively to win the game.
Knock down the 3
The Pistons finished the season fourth in 3-point field goal percentage, as three-point shooting is a vital part of the offense.
In Game 2, the Pistons shot 6-27 from 3-point range. Tim Hardaway Jr. shot 0-8 from the field and 0-6 from 3-point range, while Malik Beasley shot 2-9 from the field and 1-8 from 3-point range in Game 2.
Hardaway Jr., a 37% 3-point shooter and Beasley, a 42% 3-point shooter will look to bounce back in game 3.
Beasley and Hardaway’s three-point shooting can help take the offensive load off Cunningham, who demands a lot of attention from the defense.
Look for the Knicks to send multiple bodies at Cunningham to get the ball out of his hands. The threat of Beasley and Hardaway Jr.’s three-point shot can give Cunningham more space, make driving lanes easier, and counter double-teams.
Look for the Pistons to take on the Knicks in Game 3 on Thursday (April 24) inside the LCA.
