The Detroit Pistons had one of NBA history’s most magical runs in the regular season, more than tripling their win total from one season to the next. That’s over. Today, the playoffs begin, and the Pistons are about to learn that this is a different game.
The question, ultimately, is, are they ready? There are two possibilities. One, they do what they did all year in the regular season and they rise to the occasion. They might fall behind, get caught on the back foot as the young team is rudely introduced to playoff basketball, they get their bearings, and they fight back.