Udonis Haslem makes bold claim about potential Pistons-Knicks 1st round series
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The Detroit Pistons hold a 5.5-game lead over the seventh-place Atlanta Hawks and are on pace to make the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Even so, speculation is that the Eastern Conference is dominated by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks. However, former NBA player turned analyst Udonis Haslem sees Detroit making some noise in the postseason.
During a segment on NBA on ESPN, Haslem praised the level of play coming out of Detroit, so much so, that he boldly claimed that the Pistons could give the Knicks trouble in the playoffs. Haslem even went as far as to say that Detroit could upset New York in the first round this postseason.
“I like those Thundercats out of Detroit… They are excited about this matchup… I’m looking at the Detroit Pistons, and this could be a [first] round exit for the Knicks.”
If the playoffs started on March 18, then the Pistons and Knicks would face off against one another in the first round. However, Detroit still has 13 games remaining, while New York has 15. So the first-round matchups are yet to be determined.
Udonis Haslem mentions Jalen Brunson’s ankle injury he suffered in the Knicks’ 113-109 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6. If he’s not ready to go by the postseason, then the Pistons could take advantage of that mismatch. That is if the current standings hold and the two teams face off against one another to open the playoffs.
That is certainly something to monitor for the Knicks moving forward. As for the Pistons, star guard Jaden Ivey is ruled out with a lower leg injury. It’s not entirely clear when he’ll be back in action, but Detroit will provide another update four weeks from March 13.
The Pistons’ next contest comes on Wednesday night when they take on the Miami Heat. A win extends their streak to two, while a loss gives the Hawks an opportunity to close the 5.5-game gap.
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