In-Depth Knicks vs. Pistons Series Preview - Part 1

"Playoff Brunson" is a thing...

It's almost here, folks!

The 2025 NBA playoffs kick off this weekend, and the league announced the full schedule for the Knicks-Pistons series early this morning.

Game 1: Saturday, April 19, 6 pm Pistons at Knicks (ESPN / MSG)
Game 2: Monday, April 21, 7:30 pm, Pistons at Knicks (TNT / MSG)
Game 3: Thursday, April 24, TBD, Knicks at Pistons (TNT / MSG)
Game 4: Sunday, April 27, 1 pm, Knicks at Pistons (ABC)
Game 5*: Tuesday, April 29, TBD, Pistons at Knicks
Game 6*: Thursday, May 1, TBD Knicks at Pistons
Game 7*: Saturday, May 3, TBD Pistons at Knicks

I'll break the series preview into two parts (as it will sum to north of 6,000+ words). In today's segment, I'll examine the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward matchups.

Tomorrow, I'll break down the power forward and center positions as well as each team's bench. Then, I'll wrap it up by predicting who will win the series.

Let's dig in, shall we…

🏀 Point Guard:
Jalen Brunson vs. Cade Cunningham

You can't ask for a better matchup than this one between two of the league's truly elite playmakers. And it's impossible to overstate the importance of both PGs to their team's success. Only three players in the NBA possessed the ball for over eight minutes per game this season. Brunson and Cunningham were two of the three. This showdown could very well decide this series.

And for that reason, Knicks fans have every reason to feel confident.

Yes, Brunson authored another spectacular all-around regular season in 2024-25, finishing in the top 10 scoring (26.0 points) with 7.3 assists (vs. just 2.5 turnovers) and 2.3 made three-pointers. However, that's only part of the story. The Knicks' Captain is one of those rare superstar athletes (in any sport) who steps his game up to an even higher level when the lights shine brightest.

Brunson is the odds-on favorite to take home the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year award this season. His 5.6 points per game in the clutch (defined as the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points) led the league. Over his last 20 clutch appearances (dating back to the start of December), JB has scored 130 points on 81 FG attempts while also dishing out 22 assists. New York outscored their opponents by 42 points in the 109 minutes Brunson was on the court during this stretch. On the season, Brunson made more clutch FGs than any other player in the NBA this season (Nikola Jokic ranked second) despite ranking 14th in clutch minutes played.

Considering how incredibly effective and efficient The Captain has been in the playoffs, we shouldn't be overly surprised by this production.

The world got its first proper glimpse of "Playoff Brunson" in the spring of 2022, when the Mavericks, forced to play without an injured Luka Doncic, leaned on the unproven second-round pick in their first-round series vs. Utah. Brunson torched Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz, averaging 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists (vs. just 0.8 turnovers).

During his first postseason as a Knick, Brunson exceeded even the loftiest expectations. In the second round vs. the hated Heat, Brunson averaged 31.0 points, 5.5 boards and 6.3 dimes. Yet, somehow, those jaw-dropping numbers don't convey just how valuable/impactful he was. JB played 255 of the 288 total minutes in the series. The Knicks outscored the Heat with Brunson on the floor, but were outscored by 28 points in the 33 minutes Brunson rested.

New York's Offensive Rating with Brunson on the court in that series was 113.3. New York's Offensive Rating with Brunson on the bench was 75.7. New York's Net Rating with Brunson on the court was +3.8. New York's Net Rating with Brunson on the bench was -16.9.

There was no way JB could improve upon those numbers in his next postseason appearance, right? Wrong.

Brunson was somehow more impressive last year when he carried the shorthanded Knicks past the Sixers before breaking his hand in a Game 7 loss to Indiana.

Before the injury ended his season, Brunson averaged 33.7 points, 7.3 assists and 2.1 treys over 12 playoff contests. In the process, he became the first and only player in NBA History to score more than 400 points and dish out more than 90 assists through the first 13 games of a single postseason. Not MJ. Not LeBron. Only Brunson.

Over a five-game stretch spanning the Sixers and Pacers series, JB played arguably the best basketball of his life, averaging 42.0 points (on 50% shooting) and 9.4 dimes. He became just the fifth player with 30+ points and 5+ assists in five consecutive playoff games (joining Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James).

He is also the only player in NBA history to tally 40+ points and 5+ assists in four straight playoff games and the first to score 39+ points while shooting above 45% in five straight playoff games.

It could be due to an injury that cost him most of March. Or the fact that New York has struggled against elite opponents this season. But from what I've seen, plenty of pundits seem to forget how dominant/efficient/effective Brunson has been in big spots.

"Playoff Brunson" is a thing.

He is one of only ten players in NBA history to average 30+ points per game in the playoffs over their first 24 postseason games with a franchise. The other nine players in this club are pretty good:

Yet, Brunon has a far healthier and more accomplished supporting cast than he did in 2023 or 2024. New York doesn't need to lean as heavily on him offensively in 2025. They'll still ask him to take over down the stretch, but JB can settle as more of a playmaker/distributor early on.

As for Detroit, they have a PG stud of their own, one who is just starting to etch his name in NBA lore.

Cade Cunningham is expected to take home the Most Improved Player award this season following a breakout campaign that propelled him to be considered in the "next face of the NBA" conversation.

Cunningham averaged 26.1 points (seventh in the league), 9.1 assists (fourth in the league), 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 triples in 2024-25. He became the seventh player in NBA history to average at least 25/9/6 over a full season, joining LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Oscar Robertson.

Cade attempted a career-high 6.0 three-pointers this season and shot a career-high 35.6% from behind the arc, but did most of his damage getting downhill. He finished the season averaging 12.7 points in the paint, second-most among all guards (behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and good for 10th overall in the NBA (although he's struggled with his shooting percentage at the rim for most of the season).

Mikal Bridges will likely open the series tasked with slowing down Cunningham (OG Anunoby will also get plenty of cracks at the kid), but Cade and his teammates will relentlessly hunt Brunson on defense, looking to force him into actions at every opportunity. The Pistons ran a pick-and-roll play for the ball handler on 19.4 possessions per game in 2024-25, the 10th-most in the NBA. Cunningham averaged the second-most P&Rs in the league (11.2 per game) and had the third-highest USG% (32.2).

With 26.1 PPG and 23.4 points created off assists, Cade accounted for 49.5 of Detroit's 115.6 points per game (42.8%).

To give you an idea of just how tough a matchup Cade can be, he's had monster games against some of the league's premier perimeter defenders. Per NBA tracking data, Cunningham was 22-of-40 for 56 points and 19 assists over 171 possessions when defended by Dyson Daniels this season. He was 7-of-11 when defended by OG.

And Cunningham will enter Game 1 at the Garden with plenty of confidence, as he has played exceptionally well against New York this season. Over his last three games against the Knicks, Cunningham averaged 33.7 points (on 57% shooting), 9.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.7 made three-pointers.

He's the only player in the league to face NY more than twice this season and average 30+ points and 8+ dimes against the Knicks. Remarkably, the only player to face New York at least three times in a single season this century (the Thibs era) and average 30 & 8 or better was Kevin Durant for Brooklyn in 2021-22.

Although not considered an elite defender, Cunningham can use his length and athleticism to be quite disruptive on D when he locks in. He certainly is more impactful than Brunson on the defensive end. (Cade allowed opponents to shoot just 39% against him in the 4th quarter this season, the second lowest FG% allowed among all qualified players in the NBA in the 4Q.)

However, while Cunningham's stats are outstanding, and he is undeniably a rising superstar, he's never experienced anything in his life like the noise and energy inside Madison Square Garden during an intense playoff game.

The Knicks will look to take advantage of his propensity to turn the ball over. This season, Cade's 4.4 turnovers per game were the second most in the NBA.

Making your postseason debut is one thing. Doing so on the road at MSG is quite another. It will be fascinating to see how Cunningham responds to the pandemonium and pressure.

Something that will pop up frequently in these preview posts is the contrast in experience. Cunningham has never scored more than 40 points in a win in his CAREER in the regular season or the postseason. Brunson had four such games over two weeks during the 2024 playoffs.

Edge: Knicks

🏀 Shooting Guard:
Mikal Bridges vs. Tim Hardaway Jr.

Bridges has had an up-and-down first season in New York. Burdened with massive expectations after arriving via a blockbuster trade with Brooklyn, he stumbled out of the gates as he attempted to find footing on his new team.

Through the end of November, Bridges was shooting just 45% from the floor, 30% from behind the arc, and 62% from the free-throw line. He settled in by December and was far more effective and efficient that month, averaging 21.5 points while slashing 56/44/77. However, he was slumping again in February before bouncing back in a big way when a sprained ankle sidelined Brunson, and Bridges was given the opportunity to be a focal point of the Knicks' offense.

In many respects, Bridges is a bellwether for New York. When he gets going offensively, the Knicks become almost impossible to stop. In the 14 games in which he's scored more than 25 points this season, NY is 13-1. The Knicks are 17-3 when he shoots 60% or better from the floor.

Of course, NY is going to need him to knock down corner three-balls (he was second in the NBA in corner 3PT makes this season), but Bridges also needs to be aggressive and attack the tin. This season, he averaged a career-low 1.4 free-throw attempts per game. Per Basketball Reference, Bridges is the first player in NBA history to log over 3,000 and attempt fewer than 125 free throws.

Yet, for the Knicks to beat the Pistons in this series, Bridges' most valuable contributions must come on the defensive end. As noted above, Mikal will likely be assigned the inevitable task of staying in front of Cunningham. Bridges did a great job during the regular season. Over 107 possessions across the four games between NY and DET, Cunningham was just 8-of-21 (38%) from the floor with Bridges as his primary defender.

As we've been reminded ad infinitum over the past eight months, the Knicks gave up a boatload of draft picks to bring Bridges over from Brooklyn. A primary reason why Leon Rose and the front office felt comfortable parting with all those assets was for situations such as this, when Bridges will be asked to swing the series in New York's favor by gumming up the opponent's offensive engine.