The New York Knicks aren't in the position they wanted to be in with their first-round playoff series headed to Detroit. New York's offense was stagnant in Game 2, and there was no 21-0 run like there was in Game 1. The Knicks fell to the Pistons, 100-94, tying the series at 1-1.
Cade Cunningham had a much better game than he did on Saturday. The 23-year-old posted 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting in 42 minutes. He added 12 rebounds, three assists, and two steals to his statline.
The guard was named a first-time All-Star a few months ago and should make an All-NBA team for the first time, too. Cunningham is also a finalist for the Most Improved Player award. He isn't worried about the individual accolades -- at least not right now with Detroit fighting to make it to the second round. The last time the Pistons won a playoff series was 2008, which was also the last time they won a postseason game before Monday.
Cunningham hype is on the rise, especially after his Game 2 performance. It will only continue to rise if he carries that momentum over to the rest of the series. He might soon officially lose the underrated label.
Cade Cunningham voted most underrated player in NBA in poll
The Athletic released its annual anonymous NBA player poll (subscription required). Players were asked who the most underrated player is in the league, and 8.8% (of 136 votes) said Cunningham.
The poll was conducted from early March to mid-April, after Cunningham was named an All-Star. You can argue that he should no longer be considered underrated after the season he's had thus far, but he will certainly lose that label if he does what was once unthinkable and leads Detroit to the second round.
New York needs to focus on cutting the head off the snake moving forward, which means containing Cunningham. Yes, Dennis Schroder scored 20 points off the bench on Monday, but Cunningham is the Pistons' lone (consistent) offensive threat.
The Pistons snagged home-court advantage from the Knicks by winning at least one Game in MSG, but New York can take it back by winning at least one of the next two games on the road. It will start with quieting Cunningham, which will be no easy task. The Knicks had no answer for him in Game 2.
New York fans can agree that Cunningham has had a good season, but hopefully, it doesn't extend past the first round. It'd be nice for some people to continue to think of Cunningham as underrated, rather than watch him officially arrive on the scene with a series win.