The 2025 Detroit Pistons aren't the Bad Boys or the "Goin To Work" era Pistons, but they're carving out a space in that lane. All season, teams have complained about the grit and nastiness the team plays with.
Isaiah Stewart is the heartbeat of the you-don't-want-any-of-this team-wide mentality. He was voted the second player his peers would want to fight in an Athletic poll. Stewart is more than throwing hands: he's been one of the best rim protectors all year at 6-foot-8. That's grit.
Stew isn't the star player, but his attitude is contagious. Teams take on the persona of their coach more times than not when they get buy-in and boy, JB Bickerstaff got this team believing they can do all things through their defensive intensity and physicality.
Subscribe to the Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like it, share it with an enemy!
JB Bickerstaff has the Pistons ready for anything
J.B. Bickerstaff on officiating this series:
— Hunter Patterson (@HuntPatterson_) April 23, 2025
“We can survive physicality, so we’ve got no issue with it. When you look at the comparison. … Their guy is leading the league right now is playoff free-throw attempts. Cade is ninth at this point.” pic.twitter.com/FvctSiPBAg
In this presser, it's clear Bickerstaff has prepared his team for playoff basketball. While Tom Thibodeau has complained about the refs shallowing their whistles for certain players in the biggest games of the year, the stats don't support his claims.
Per PivotFade, Cade Cunningham has drawn 14 fouls to Jalen Brunson's 23 through two games. Both are getting calls attacking downhill, but Brunson is also getting calls 60 feet away from the rim, tying up with Ausar Thompson.
These types of plays, paired with Brunson's craft, have seated Thompson with foul trouble — it's a smart strategy to get the Pistons' best perimeter defender to fall for his tricks. Though some calls are questionable, the physicality Thibs claims is working against NY, which also puts Detroit in a bind.
This is playoff basketball. Let the players on the floor decide the series. In this one, physicality, mental toughness, and discipline are key factors for both teams. Pistons fans could argue Cade should be at the line more with his downhill style. Brunson is a player you won't limit in the playoffs. Foul baiting or not, the 6-foot-1 guard will produce at tier-one levels during this time of the year.
Bickerstaff has prepared his team for the physicality of NBA playoff basketball all year. This is what the Pistons do. They're ready for proverbial war every time they lace up their kicks. They aren't making excuses for why Brunson is cooking, averaging 35.5 points through two games. I suggest New York worries about what they can control if they want to avoid a 3-seed versus 6-seed upset.