NBA Eastern Conference playoffs burning questions: Can Pistons keep punching up?
The playoffs have taught us time and time again that nothing is a sure bet when the stakes are so high — it’s all about timing. Ahead of Saturday’s tip-off, Zulfi Sheikh has one burning question for each first-round series.
The trailers are finally over, and the feature film is about to begin.
So grab a snack, sit back and get ready to enjoy a jam-packed Saturday slate that opens Round 1 of the NBA playoffs.
After the conclusion of the Play-In tournament on Friday night, all eight first-round series were officially locked in. Which means basketball fans can really begin deep-diving matchups, pushing their favourite narratives and start projecting ahead to fill out brackets.
And looking out East, it might seem easy enough to fast forward and pencil in a conference finals between the top-seeded Cavaliers and second-place Celtics — two of the NBA’s three 60-plus win teams this season.
But despite their dominance, not taking a moment to consider the remaining six would be a disservice to an East bracket that includes a Pacers squad one year removed from a conference finals appearance, a Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks team that’s riding hot, a Knicks group itching to prove it belongs amongst the elite, a Magic collective that’s re-found it’s defensive identity and a Pistons contingent not ready for its Cinderella run to be over.
The playoffs have taught us time and time again that nothing is a sure bet when the stakes are so high. An injury, an adjustment or simply a star rising to the occasion can often be enough to swing a series. It’s all about timing.
And once the first ball tips off on Saturday, the clock will officially start ticking down to the NBA Finals in June. So, in the spirit of intrigue and in defiance of any presumed chalkiness in the East, here’s one burning question for each series ahead of the first round.
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Miami Heat
Season series: Cavaliers lead 2-1
Series schedule (all times in ET):
Game 1: April 20, 7 p.m.
Game 2: April 23, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: April 26, 1 p.m.
Game 4: April 28, TBD
*Game 5: April 30, TBD
*Game 6: May 2, TBD
*Game 7: May 4, TBD
* if necessary
Burning Question: Are these Cavaliers a 16-game team?
“There are 82-game players, then there are 16-game players.” That was advice from four-time champion Draymond Green to the Warriors front office back in 2018.
While the theory remains rooted in subjective criteria (i.e., optics and feel), there are numbers to support the notion that certain players (and teams) understand the ebbs and flows of the playoffs better than others — those who routinely rise higher than their contemporaries in the biggest of moments.
The Cavaliers, for instance — a now 64-win statistical juggernaut — will need to overcome the damning numerical fact that they’ve won just six playoff games the last two years despite being a No. 4 seed each time. It’s part of the reason why despite holding a wire-to-wire lead over the rest of the East this season, they’re still not betting favourites against the defending champion Celtics. Proof trumps potential.
And this year’s Cleveland team has boatloads of potential with little proof to substantiate it (yet). What the numbers do tell us for certain, however, is that the 2024-25 Cavs were the NBA’s No. 1-ranked offence (second-most efficient in NBA history) and No. 8 defence. Beyond that, they were just the second team in NBA history to rattle off three win streaks of 12 or more games in a season.
The first to do it was the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks, a 67-win powerhouse much akin to the Cavaliers today. That team also appeared destined for a long post-season run, but was instead notoriously stunned by the “We Believe” Warriors in a one-eight matchup.
And if any team resembles that Golden State squad, it’s a 2024-25 “Heat Culture” Miami team that’s already made history as the first 10th seed ever to advance out of the Play-In and into the playoffs. Despite going 14-21 post-Jimmy Butler, losing 10 games in a row along the way and blowing a league-leading 22 fourth-quarter leads, the Heat found a way through. They’ve made little sense this season but have overcome that conundrum with plenty of resilience.
And if there’s a first-round opponent that can truly test Cleveland’s post-season resolve, it’s this Miami team.
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Orlando Magic
Season series: Magic lead 2-1
Series schedule (all times in ET):
Game 1: April 20, 3:30 p.m.
Game 2: April 23, 7 p.m.
Game 3: April 25, 7 p.m.
Game 4: April 27, 7 p.m.
*Game 5: April 29, TBD
*Game 6: May 1, TBD
*Game 7: May 3, TBD
* if necessary
Burning Question: Can Orlando contain Boston’s three-point onslaught?
Pigs will fly sooner than the Magic will be able to match the Celtics’ continuous barrage of makes from beyond the arc. That’s less a discredit to Orlando’s pedestrian offence — 27th overall and last in average made threes (11.2) — and more a nod to Boston’s firepower.
The Celtics ranked second on that side of the ball this year, yet again anchored by a three-point-heavy attack. Beantown led the league in average three-point makes (17.8), and its 1,457 total triples was a new NBA single-season record.
Still, any team so reliant on one style of offence leaves itself at risk if those looks stop falling. It hasn’t been costly all that often, but Boston truly does operate along the “live by the three, die by the three” mantra.
The Celtics went 7-14 during games in which they made the same or fewer triples than their opponents. In losses, their three-point percentage dipped down to 32.4 per cent compared to 38.3 per cent in wins.
And it’s that exact pattern the Magic will need to replicate to make this series interesting. Good thing Orlando allows the fewest attempts (31.4) and makes (11.4) from beyond the arc this season.
The Magic held the Celtics to 36.7 three-point shots per game and just 10.7 makes, both well below their usual averages. And although that effort meant the Magic won the regular-season series, one of those games didn’t include Jayson Tatum, and the other was in the final week of play when none of Boston’s starters took the floor.
(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Detroit Pistons
Season series: Pistons lead 3-1
Series schedule (all times in ET):
Game 1: April 19, 6 p.m.
Game 2: April 21, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: April 24, 7 p.m.
Game 4: April 27, 1 p.m.
*Game 5: April 29, TBD
*Game 6: May 1, TBD
*Game 7: May 3, TBD
* if necessary
Burning Question: Can the Pistons keep punching up?
Undoubtedly the darlings of the NBA all year, this Detroit squad made one of the most impressive single-year turnarounds in quite some time.
The Pistons’ injection of veteran talent — Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley — and their physical style of play, vaguely reminiscent of the “Bad Boys” era, has led to a 30-win jump and a first playoff appearance since 2019.
And their matchup for a long-awaited post-season return couldn’t have been drawn up any better. New York was the only top-six team in the East that Detroit won its regular-season series against.
Much of that was thanks to Cade Cunningham. In four appearances versus New York, the first-time all-star averaged 30.8 points and 8.3 assists on better than 50 per cent shooting from the field and distance. The Knicks will have plenty of options to throw at Cunningham in the playoffs, however, as OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart have the tools to make life difficult for the 23-year-old.
It’s time to see if the Pistons are ready for primetime or if the bright lights of Madison Square Garden will prove too much to handle. Detroit’s season will be a feel-good story either way, but meeting the moment will likely be the difference in whether or not the Pistons can win their first playoff game since 2008 and snap a streak of 14 consecutive playoff losses.
(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks
Season series: Bucks lead 3-1
Series schedule (all times in ET):
Game 1: April 19, 1 p.m. (on Sportsnet 360 or Sportsnet+)
Game 2: April 22, 7 p.m.
Game 3: April 25, 8 p.m.
Game 4: April 27, 9:30 p.m.
*Game 5: April 29, TBD
*Game 6: May 2, TBD
*Game 7: May 4, TBD
* if necessary
Burning Question: No Dame, no problem?
While Damian Lillard’s status remains unclear for the start of the playoffs, as he works his way back — possibly sooner than expected — from a blood clot diagnosis that’s kept him out for nearly a month, the Bucks appear ready to roll either way.
Milwaukee went 10-4 without the nine-time all-star to end the year. And although it’ll gladly welcome back Lillard’s 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game, Antetokounmpo and the band have been rocking just fine in his absence.
The Bucks enter the first round on NBA-best eight-game win streak, boasting the league’s No. 1 offence over the last 10 games. Unsurprisingly, that effort’s been spearheaded by Milwaukee’s two-time league MVP.
Antetokounmpo was his usual stellar self this year, averaging 30.4 points (second in the NBA), 11.9 rebounds (sixth) and 6.5 assists.
The big difference, however, is the fact that he’s about as healthy as he’s been in quite some time entering the post-season. The 30-year-old has played in just three playoff games since 2022 due to various injuries. Last season, when his Bucks lost to these very same Pacers in the first round, Antetokounmpo didn’t play in any of the six games due to a strained right calf.
With health presumably on his side this time around, and his running mate possibly missing in action, it might be time for the former Finals MVP to remind folks of his dominance.
Milwaukee will need exactly that kind of effort to get past a Pacers team that won 50 games for the first time since 2014.
Indiana’s offence might not be quite as potent as last year — ranked ninth now instead of second — but its defence has taken a step up as a somewhat reasonable compromise for that drop-off. And while Indiana has its own injury concern — Pascal Siakam dealing with a lingering elbow issue — roster depth should still be on its side for the first-round matchup.
