Recent years have taught us not to go straight chalk in the NBA playoffs. That said, there still tend to be fewer surprises and less parity in the NBA than in most other sports. And, more often than not, the cream usually rises to the top in the end. That was the case in the last three seasons. In fact, nine of the last 13 titles were won by 1-seeds.
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That sounds like good news for the OKC Thunder and the Detroit Pistons, the current teams atop their respective conferences. However, there is no guarantee that both will make it to the Finals just because they have the best record.
In fact, the last time the two top seeds faced off against each other for the championship was back in 2016 when the Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Golden State Warriors. So odds are, there’ll be at least one party crasher vying for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Even though OKC and Detroit have been outstanding all year, there are plenty of good teams that are good enough to make a run. The West, as always, is stacked, with the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, the Houston Rockets, the LA Lakers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves all lurking. The East could really be a toss-up, though.
While the Thunder have the benefit of being the defending champs, this Pistons team hasn’t been in this position before. On Monday’s episode of No Fouls Given, Paul Pierce, Danny Green, and Wosny Lambre all picked a team to come out of the East and made a case for why they could do it.
Lambre chose the red-hot Cavs, who recently added James Harden to their roster. He cited Donovan Mitchell’s ability as a go-to scorer, head coach Kenny Atkinson’s system, and Evan Mobley’s still-untapped potential.
“I just think they can be a more well-rounded bunch, top-to-bottom, talent-wise, than some of the other Eastern Conference teams,” said Lambre.
Green wasn’t swayed by the Pistons’ lack of postseason experience. “They built for playoffs, bro,” he said.
“Playoffs, it kinda slows down and gets physical. They have physicality all the way … Y’all can second-guess all you want, they’ve got some experience. Last year, playing against the Knicks in the playoffs gave Cade all the experience he needed,” explained Green.
Just last week, Green praised the Pistons for giving the Knicks “belt to a**” after they swept the season series with another blowout win. That performance helped convince him that Cade Cunningham and his MVP-caliber season, plus their quality depth and a “next man up” mentality, will be enough to get the Pistons to their first Finals since 2005.
Unsurprisingly, Pierce went with his Celtics. And with how well they’ve played, he didn’t have to make a ridiculous case. Sunday night’s whooping of the Lakers kept them in possession of the 2-seed in the East. Pierce praised Jaylen Brown for being a legit MVP candidate after he dropped 32 in L.A.
“Two, we boast a top-tier defense and a top-tier offense,” Pierce said. “Three, we’re the only team in the Eastern Conference in the top five who can say we have championship DNA in the locker room.”
Pierce then listed Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, big contributors to the 2023 title team, as potential difference makers. He called Joe Mazzulla a “Coach of the Year candidate,” and finished his argument by reminding everyone that Jayson Tatum could be back soon, an addition that could put the Celtics over the top.
Tatum has ramped up his rehab and recently practiced with the Celtics’ G League affiliate. Though he hasn’t explicitly said he’ll be back next year, it’s looking more and more each day like he will make it back.
Each No Fouls Given host presented a strong case for the next Eastern Conference champ. We’ll have to wait a few months to see who turns out to be correct.
