Pistons vs Knicks G1 Preview: Ending a 14-game playoff losing streak in team history? Cunningham challenges Brunson

At 6:00 a.m. on April 20, Beijing time, the first game day of the NBA playoffs ushered in, and the Knicks played against the Pistons at home. Brunson and Cunningham played an All-Star level guard matchup.

The Pistons are 44-38 in the regular season and are in sixth place in the East; The Knicks are 51-31 in the regular season and third in the East. The two teams met four times in the regular season, with the Pistons winning 3-1.

The Knicks have won 16 consecutive games against the Pistons in five years. However, the Pistons, who rebounded strongly in the 2024-25 season, finally ended this losing streak with three wins. Now, they're aiming for another long-running "embarrassing record": the longest playoff losing streak in NBA history.

Returning to the playoff stage for the first time since 2019, the Pistons, the No. 6 seed in the East, headed to Madison Square Garden on Sunday to challenge the No. 3 seed Knicks in the opening game of the first-round series.

The Knicks know better than anyone that the Pistons are no longer the underdogs of last season's 14-68 team that once set a single-season record of 28 consecutive league defeats. Prior to the Pistons' win of their last three meetings this season, the Knicks hadn't lost since Nov. 6, 2019.

"They've been doing really well this season. We've just played against them recently, so we know a little bit about their strengths, but we've got to dig a little bit deeper to really get to the bottom of them," Knicks head coach Thibodeau said, "We respect our opponents, but we also understand that to win games, you have to play a high level of basketball for 48 minutes." ”

The Pistons have All-Star point guard Cunningham and perimeter sharpshooter Malik Beasley, among many other strengths. However, the team lacks playoff experience to play together, and the Knicks have the upper hand in that regard, having reached the Eastern Conference semifinals in the past two years.

"The playoffs and the regular season are completely different things. It's hard to appreciate the difference without experiencing it firsthand," said Pistons head coach Bickerstaff, "We've all been through this phase. I told the coaching staff that we were all rebellious when we were kids, and we didn't listen to our parents, and we had to hit the south wall ourselves to know what was right or wrong. The same goes for the playoffs. We can tell the players what to expect, but only if they experience it firsthand will they understand the huge difference. ”

The hiring of Bickerstaff was one of the Pistons' post-season changes, in addition to bringing in experienced veterans such as Beasley, Harris and former Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. In the end, the Pistons finished the season with a 44-38 record, improving their winning streak by 30 games, the sixth-highest improvement in NBA history.

"I think they've done a really good job of bringing in veterans, blending young players with experienced players and helping young people learn how to win," commented Knicks player Bridges, "and they've done a really great job." ”

A long playoff losing streak

The last time the Pistons won in a playoff game was in Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics won the final two games of the series, and the Pistons have since been swept in the playoffs in 2009, 2016 and 2019.

The 14-game losing streak broke the previous record held by the Knicks, who lost 13 consecutive playoff games between 2001 and 2012.

Rare opponents

The two teams have met in a playoff history of very little history, and the Knicks have never beaten the Pistons in a best-of-seven series. The Knicks' only two victories came in the best-of-five series of the first round in 1984 and 1992 (the format has now been abolished). The Pistons' only win over the Knicks was in the 1990 Eastern Conference semifinals, where they advanced to a 4-1 overall score.

Can Brunson continue his hot form?

Brunson will try to continue his stellar run in the 2024 playoffs, when he averaged 32.4 points per game. The All-Star point guard became the first player since Michael Jordan to score 40+ points in four consecutive playoff games.

Three-point shot Beasley

This season, Beasley has made 319 three-pointers, just one less than Anthony Edwards, second in the league and eighth on the NBA's all-time list for three-point shooting. In the Pistons' two victories at Madison Square Garden, he shot 13-of-18 from beyond the three-point line.

List of injuries and illnesses

Pistons: Ivey is out

Knicks: Hukporti is doubtful

ESPN Predicted Win Rate:Pistons 32.9%, Knicks 67.1%