The playoffs are just a week away, and the New York Knicks are hoping to lock up the third seed in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. However, doing so may ultimately put them in a position that is less than desirable. Why? Because of the likely first round matchup it would create.
After their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, the Detroit Pistons will almost assuredly be entering the postseason as the sixth seed, which would likely set them up to play the Knicks in the opening round. In terms of matchup difficulty, this may be the worst outcome possible for New York.
In the regular season, the Knicks finished with just a 1-3 record against the Pistons, losing their final three and with their only win coming way back on Nov. 1. Fans will want to believe in this squad no matter who they face, but New York is going to have to hope for anyone else to be their opponent.
Cade Cunningham has the Knicks' number
If we further examine the regular season matchups between Detroit and New York, we notice one thing right away: Cade Cunningham dominated the Knicks in every contest. He averaged 30.8 points with shooting splits of 56/52/80% in the four games against New York this season. Cunningham is enjoying a breakout season in general, but he has especially enjoyed playing against the Knicks.
This should be of huge concern to fans as they look ahead to the postseason. We know that New York has struggled to defeat a lot of the top squads in the association this season, as their Friday night loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers gave them a combined record of 0-10 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Cavs this season. That does not mean that they cannot reverse this trend in the playoffs, and in fact, we have seen that done by a champion before.
But the matchup problems the Pistons present and especially the star power of Cunningham could reasonably mean the Knicks end up as a first round exit should they draw this unfortunate opponent. Cade plays with a lot of confidence against this team, and he and Detroit could easily be the ones to send New York home early. If it happens, don't say we didn't see the telltale signs.