5 reasons Detroit Pistons can win NBA Finals
By John Buhler
5. Most capable of first-round upset.
When looking at the eight teams that won’t have home court advantage in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Pistons have both the roster and the potential matchup to pull off a shocking upset in the first round.
Many expect the top four teams in the West (Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers) to advance to the Western Semifinals rather easily.
While No. 3 through No. 6 in the East has yet to be determined, Detroit has a better grasp of who they will play in round one and the Pistons will have to bring it to survive and advance. They can only play No. 1 Cleveland or No. 2 Toronto as either the No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the East.
This helps the Pistons because it allows them to work on strategies to use against either opponent in their final two regular season games. Given the Pistons’ physical nature, solid coaching from Van Gundy and their ability to erase deficits with strong jump shooting, one has to believe the Pistons have the best chance of any underdog to pull off an upset in round one.
Just advancing to the Eastern Semifinals to play another top four team in the East would be an overwhelming success for Detroit basketball. Of all the teams in the 2016 Eastern Conference Playoffs, Detroit faces the least amount of pressure. They aren’t expected to advance, and so anything they do this postseason is an added bonus as this young team continues to develop under Van Gundy’s tutelage.
Next: 4. The NBA Playoffs drought is over!