The New York Knicks couldn't beat the Detroit Pistons once in the 2025-26 regular season. Not even in four tries.
That's why fans of the team were glad to see the Orlando Magic take a 3-1 series lead over them in the first round. Just as the Knicks were overcoming their struggles against the Atlanta Hawks, the Pistons were seemingly backed into a corner with no escape.
It was the perfect storm, especially for a New York squad expected internally to make the NBA Finals.
Then Detroit came back. And now that they've joined the Knicks with a 2-0 series lead in Round 2, it looks like the New York may not have gotten out of playing them after all. They actually seem to be on a direct crash course with each other.
Pistons' grit puts them right back in the way of the Knicks' Finals goals
It took the young, athletic, and gritty Pistons squad some time to show their true colors. The Knicks, who dropped two of their first three games against the Hawks, can relate.
But the team that went 4-0 against Mike Brown's group in the regular season eventually shined through. They put together four straight wins and booked their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
New York was one game away from getting out of a playoff matchup with Detroit entirely.
While they handled the Pistons in six games in last year's first round, and are playing better on both sides of the court this season, Cade Cunningham has reached another level as an NBA star. And this Pistons team has momentum, too.
The exact characteristic that made them a pain for the Knicks to deal this season was integral to that improbable come-from-behind win over the Magic. The team's indefatigable will to fight clearly wore Orlando down over the course of the series, regardless of how the first four games went.
The Knicks have what it takes to end the Pistons' season, again
Detroit's refusal to give in to any opponent's physicality, or style of play, is right in line with the kind of team they've been all year. It's why they gave New York so many problems when they met up throughout the season.
And it's exactly why the Hawks were able to squeak out two consecutive one-point victories over the Knicks in the first round.
But Brown's locker room seems to have left their issues with "entitlement" in the past. Throughout their entire rotation, the Knicks seem completely bought in to doing what it takes to win. Since Game 4 against Atlanta, they've been dominating the margins.
Jordan Clarkson is rebounding and defending the ball like never before. Karl-Anthony Towns is dominating in the passing game. Jalen Brunson is both screening and taking shots at the rim at much higher rates than in the regular season.
If OG Anunoby gets healthy soon, the Knicks will have all of the chess pieces necessary to outmatch the Pistons for the second straight season. But the fact that they might even have to play them is an immense credit to Detroit's players and coaching staff.
And it's definitely not what fans were hoping for, given the 4-0 sweep throughout the first portion of the season.
When it comes to this Detroit group, New York knows one thing for sure. They can't take anything for granted, especially against a team that's thrived in the face of that much adversity.
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