Detroit Pistons vs New York Knicks (Playoff Preview)

Previewing the first round matchup through the lens of my regular season notes and analysis.

I read back through ALL 4 game recaps from the regular season and tried to filter through the notes and bullet points I felt were most relevant to the upcoming series.

If you want to read any of the full game breakdowns I have left the links here.

Game 1 - Nov. 1st

Game 2 - Dec. 7th

Game 3 - Jan. 13th

Game 4 - April 10th

November 1st (98 -128 L)

Pistons General Notes

• Laying an absolute egg at home right now, this is the first one of the season but it is BAD…..Sunday is a big game for this team because Nets are a game most would chalk up as a chance to get a win (and it is) but that team is sneaky .500 right now and has the #6 offense in the NBA behind Schroder (how things change throughout a NBA season) and Thomas

• First action of the game is an off the ball action for THJ to get a C&S 3P but Brunson actually defends nicely

  • They then hunt Brunson, get the switch, draws the double and gets a good look for THJ (missed)

• You can’t be this aggressive in passing lanes that allow backdoors AND be 30th in the NBA in steals (we now know that defensive disruption is KEY for this team)

  • If you are going to be aggressive, fine, but then you need some of the payoff that goes along with the risk

Jalen Duren

• Impact is not being felt AND some pretty rough ball screen defense possessions

  • Gives up straight line drive to KAT to start the 2nd half

  • Looks like JB is going to send a message after KAT gets a clean look from 3P on the very next possession and sub him out for Stew

Isaiah Stewart

• Rough start defending KAT has had back to back very good possessions

  • I like seeing him at least attempt a couple 3P

  • He does continue to show off impressive rim protection

    • I don’t think the raw numbers do it justice

Simone Fontecchio

• FONTECCHIO, yes, stop overthinking it and trying to do too much….catch and shoot, catch and shoot, catch and shoot (was saying it all the way back in Game 6)

  • Then play hard defensively and grab some rebounds

Knicks General Notes

• There defense is very physical and really pushes Detroit outside the 3P line

• The spacing for this team is awesome, there is NEVER a defender in the lane or around the basket

  • And they do a great job cutting into that space

  • I think teams are going to have to start daring Josh Hart to shoot

Jalen Brunson

• BRUNSON has done a REALLY nice job chasing THJ around these off the ball screens early in the game (this is interesting to me when you start trying to figure out how New York matches up with Detroit)

December 7th (120 - 111 W)

Pistons General Notes

• With KAT out you go from a MAJOR worry at the center position to one that COULD be dominated by Duren/Stew (just wanted to note that KAT did not play in this game)

  • Would be great to see them dominate this matchup considering how good the Knicks are at every other position

• How much do they hunt and try to attack Brunson on the offensive end???

  • See it early with a Cade post up

• New York is a top 5 team in TOV% in the league (they are now 7th in the NBA) so you can’t expect these early game TOs to continue BUT it’s good to see Detroit take advantage of them while they are happening

  • They don’t have a single TO in the 3rd quarter

• DEFENSE

  • They are LAST in the NBA in steals (19th now which is crazy they were still 30th almost 1/3rd of the way through the season) but get a couple here early in the game that lead directly to transition points and help them get out to a quick start

  • Off the ball miscommunications continue to lead to open looks for teams

  • I mention it below with Cade but I don’t think they have a good matchup for Brunson without Ausar available

Cade Cunningham

• Taking the Brunson matchup is not what I would have expected but I am here for it (I am really starting to wonder if Cade starts games on Brunson)

  • Can’t say this has been a great matchup for him, I understand the idea behind putting length on Brunson but wouldn’t be surprised if they go with something different in the 2nd half

    • Sure would be nice to have Ausar in this one

Jalen Duren (think this really speaks to his growth this season)

• At 5:30 2nd quarter is a great example of where I simply don’t think he even understands that he needs to play “harder”

  • His man (Achiuwa) is trailing the play so he just jogs back behind the ball (Hart) being guarded by Cade….Hart, a very good transition driver, attacks immediately and scores

  • Yes, Cade could/should be better BUT if Duren SPRINTS back into position he can 1. Help take away the driving lane OR 2. Be in position to contest the shot at the rim from behind

  • Especially, against a big like Achiuwa who ISN’T a trail floor spacer, I would understand what he did a lot more IF it was Lopez/Turner/etc.

  • Gets highway screened by Anunoby late in the 1st half

    • Again, Cade should be better BUT to be the anchor of a defense you can’t let this happen to you from a wing/forward when the other team’s best player has the ball in his hands in the middle of the court

  • HOW ABOUT THOSE HANDS IN THE BALL SCREEN VS BRUNSON TO GET THE STEAL

    • Love it, 4:00 2nd quarter and he is deliberate with his hands (I call this the “stick hand” when it’s protecting against the crossover) and forces the TO

  • Love seeing him be able to exploit a mismatch on a switch of a ball screen

    • Posts Brunson, forces help and kicks to Harris (missed corner 3PA)

    • Has made 3 really nice passes to start the 2nd half

  • GETS OUT RUN IN TRANSITION AFTER NOT FINISHING AN OREB AND THEN DOESN’T BOX OUT ON THE MISSED FT

    • This is a really, really, REALLY rough look

Knicks General Notes

• KAT gets a lot of the criticism for their defense but they are struggling major in transition and just general sense of urgency and intensity (and isn’t him because he isn’t playing)

Mikal Bridges

• On Cade, going to be really interesting to see how well he plays in this matchup

  • Have not been overly impressed with his point of attack defense so far this season

    • He can’t guard him, I can’t imagine this is what New York thought they were trading for defensively

Jalen Brunson

• He is working them over here in the 3rd quarter

• Getting into the lane whenever he wants and however he wants

OG Anunoby

• Just having a really good season

  • Shows his defensive impact with a recovery block on Duren in a ball screen situation

  • Multiple plays throughout the game, just real versatility with his impact

  • Along with how well he is scoring the ball so far this season

  • Does a really nice job moving off the ball

  • Struggled with those corner C&S 3PAs tonight though

    • 39% on the season and 42% for his career

January 13th (124 - 119 W)

Pistons General Notes

• WHAT A START TO THE 3RD QUARTER FROM CADE CUNNINGHAM!!!!!

  • This is insanely impressive considering everything that happened in the 1st half

  • Not to mention, you are on the road, in the Garden, against one of the best teams in the NBA

    • THESE are the types of moments that reinforce the type of player Cade is (whether they end up winning or not)

  • He goes to the bench with a little over 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter and up 7….can they even come close to keeping the lead???

    • Knicks only cut it to 5 (some big Sasser buckets)

• Knicks Broadcast with an interesting comment “.....playoff intensity in this one….”

  • I have consistently talked about data points throughout the season AND the type of data you can get from playing in the playin tournament or playoffs (and nothing replaces that) BUT even some of these regular season games against opponents like the Knicks are going to be played at a high level and give us some great information

    • And they will only get more high leverage down the stretch if Detroit is still in the hunt for seeding of some sort

• OFFENSE

  • Looks like they are going to put two on Cade every time there is any sort of ball screen….can he consistently make the right decision AND can everyone else finish plays out of that???

    • They kind of go away from this

• DEFENSE

  • More Pistons zone….go to it at the end of the 1st quarter and force a TO

  • Go to it again ATO mid 3rd quarter….and…..force a TO!!!

    • Next possession they force a no flow 3PA where the ball never got inside the 3P line before the shot

    • Have stayed in it for quite awhile in the 3rd

  • HAVE THEY BEEN SAVING THIS A LITTLE????

Ausar Thompson

• AUSAR on Brunson is something I am really excited to see

  • Well, doesn’t look like that is going to be the matchup as Cade actually starts on him….will just have to settle for the possessions where switches happen

Jalen Duren

• DUREN with a big time opportunity going up against KAT which has been an archetype that has been a major issue for him

  • Immediately gives up a foul closing out hard to KAT and leaving his feet which put him behind trying to defend the drive

    • He can’t defend him off the bounce without putting his hands on and draws his second foul early in the game

    • To be fair, he gets a downhill drive on Stew as well here at the end of the 1st quarter

    • He just flat out can’t guard him in the 1st half….it has been pretty bad

• Doesn’t even put a hand up on KAT’s 2nd 3PA

Cade Cunningham

• Reading things well so far

  • Passing out quick when they put two on him and the first time they drop he hits the pull up 3P

  • I just think asking him to ALSO guard Brunson is a tall task

  • One possession doesn’t make a defender (consistency hasn’t been as good recently) BUT this does show the two way capabilities he possesses

    • Hard to play Brunson much better than this and the point of attack defense allows Ausar to play aggressively in the passing lanes

  • Commits 2nd foul here in the 1st quarter but JB trusts him and leaves him in the game (this only lasts about 45 seconds)

    • Picks up his 3rd foul fairly early in the 2nd quarter and looks like JB is going to trust him at least for a bit

  • Rough 1st half with all the fouls and never getting it going offensively….how does he respond in the 2nd half considering he has the ridiculous foul trouble to deal with

    • How about walking into a C&S 3P and knocking it down and then knocking down a insanely difficult mid range fade away….gets blocked on below play and then comes right back with another C&S 3PM

    • EXACT, EXACT response you want to see from your star

Isaiah Stewart

• What an isolation possession vs Brunson at the end of the 3rd quarter!

• He has been AWESOME in this game but even he is slow on a KAT transition trail 3PM in the 4th quarter

Tim Hardaway Jr.

• Just can not stay in front of the ball and Knicks are hunting him early with Brunson where he just doesn’t have a chance

Malik Beasley

• Comes in and immediately knocks down a 3P off the dribble

  • Wow, he is HOT to start this one

  • ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!?? This transition make in the 1st quarter is unreal

  • CLUTCH 3PMs

Tobias Harris

• Finding a switch on Brunson and taking advantage of it

  • FTs on one possession and then on the next he draws the double and finds Beasley

• The defensive rebounding impact is so real though

Ron Holland II

• He’s got a little bit of work to do with his off the ball defensive engagement

  • Gives up backdoors a little bit too much, just don’t think he quite appreciates yet how good of cutters these guys are and how good of passers are on the other end

Knicks General Notes

• Interesting that TOs are again an issue to start this game like they were in the most recent matchup (6th in the NBA in TOV% on the season)

• I just don’t think they make you uncomfortable defensively

  • Doesn’t seem like there are many deflections, steals, blocks, etc. and Detroit is able to run their offense pretty carefree where it comes down to if they are patient enough to get a good look and then if they make it

  • They aren’t dictating anything Detroit does

  • 2nd quarter it was a little better but think about the 3rd quarter….Detroit pretty much got the ball wherever they wanted whenever they wanted in the HC and transition

• These guys have really locked in on their relocation off of Brunson drives, tough to defend

• They have some really fun offensive possessions when the ball gets moving

  • Another great example of Bridges relocation (this one after he drives - see below)

• They have defended some of their consistent actions really well here in the 2nd quarter

  • Two that I recognize between the start of the quarter and ATO and New York doesn’t give up anything on either

• Why have they gone away from putting two on Cade????

  • Make anyone else beat you on Detroit, right?

  • Not to mention, they don’t exactly have the best secondary playmakers

• Do they struggle with zone in general? Seems like it has slowed them down in the possessions Detroit has gone to it in this game

Karl-Anthony Towns

• So tough to defend because not only can he shoot from the 3P line but he can also attack you off the bounce when you close out hard

  • The threat of BOTH of these is such a tough combination for opposing bigs to defend

    • Even taking Stew off the bounce

  • I know the ASST:TO ratio isn’t awesome but feel like the passing is better than I give him credit for sometimes

    • Especially when operating from that top of the key area

OG Anunoby

• On Cade is the matchup I would go to as well

  • Nevermind, it’s still Bridges (was just a switch)

    • Now they do go to him in the 3rd quarter after Cade really got it going

  • With his size it looks like he can definitely get two or three easy post catch and finishes per game when he gets the right mismatch, switch or cross match

Josh Hart

• Is just so good in transition

  • Makes him a real weapon considering how good of a rebounder he is as well

  • So good at drawing contact

  • He just does everything and is such an impactful player

    • Rebounds, passes, cuts….sets quality screens to force the switches onto Brunson that they want to attack

    • This is so important because he probably does draw the other teams “worse” defender most nights so they guy guarding him is who they would want to “hunt” to attack

  • He is so much fun to watch, just in the middle of everything

Mikal Bridges

• ELITE shooting relocation on this play (this is worrisome considering Detroit off ball defensive issues this season)

• He has been a very good off the ball cutter as well and I feel like he is so fluid with the catch and shoot in the mid range off these cuts

Jalen Brunson

• Love that he is a good off the ball cutter also….so many true on the ball guys can’t do ANYTHING when they are off the ball and just stand

April 10th (115 - 106 W)

Pistons General Notes

• So, I find it FASCINATING in this game they have decided to put Cade on Brunson and Ausar on Bridges with the potential playoff matchup coming soon

  • You know what…..IF Cade can stay out of foul trouble this could be interesting

    • 1. It keeps AUSAR out of foul trouble early in the game

    • 2. You would get a lot of cross match possessions where Brunson would end up on Cade on the other end of the court

    • I just don’t think it’s worth the potential foul trouble on Cade….they can get Brunson switched onto him when they want using other actions (although, Knicks have tried to avoid it at times)

• CADE HAS TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS GAME HOW MUCH THEY TRIED TO TAKE CHARGES ON HIM

  • BOLD AND UNDERLINE FOR THE PLAYOFF SCOUTING REPORT

• OFFENSE

  • PACE after MAKES

    • KAT gets a downhill drive and finish (but falls down), Detroit immediately gets it in and attacks that results in a THJ corner 3PM

    • Bridges mid range jumper (but falls down), Detroit gets it down the sideline and up the floor and Beasley gets a wide open C&S 3PA (missed)

  • MCBRIDE IS GOING TO JUMP PASSING LANES!!!

    • BOLD AND UNDERLINE IN THE PLAYOFF SCOUTING REPORT AND THEN SHOW ALL OF THE CLIPS LIKE AT THE END OF THE GAME!!!

• DEFENSE

  • Already given up at least 3 off ball cuts (backdoors or miscommunication) for easy buckets just in the 1st quarter

    • This has been really, really bad in the 1st half

    • And the 2nd half

Jalen Duren

• DUREN with the first 3 buckets of the game, finishing plays

  • GREAT off the ball flare screen for Harris during a Cade post up that gets Harris an open C&S 3PM (these are those little nuanced things we don’t always see but this is a really nice play)

  • He has been crazy active on the offensive end to start the game

  • Showing the physical finish AND the finesse finish in the 1st half alone

Cade Cunningham

• Getting to his spots in the 1st quarter

  • This has been a consistent theme for him against the Knicks this season

  • I thought McBride would be an interesting matchup for him (in non Anunoby minutes in the potential playoff series) but it does look like Cade is tall enough to shoot over him

  • Scoring the ball efficiently AND creating shots for teammates with his gravity

  • Love that they ran a designed post up for him in the 3rd quarter

    • Cuts into the post position

Dennis Schroder

• Continues to struggle with the jump shot

  • The off the ball defensive breakdowns are really starting to be worrisome

  • He’s going to pressure the paint though

Ausar Thompson

• Struggle offensively so far

  • Has had some really nice defensive possessions vs Brunson

Knicks General Notes

• They are definitely trying to avoid switching the early offense action with Cade and whoever Brunson is guarding

Karl-Anthony Towns

• KAT off the dribble ability is causing early problems for Duren

  • Man, he has been so aggressive off the bounce in the 1st half

    • He is taking contact on these drives and still finishing

Jalen Brunson

• Has tried to take 2 charges in the 1st half on Cade, didn’t get the call on either but this would definitely be something to watch for in a potential series