Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers
PREVIEW: The top-seeded Detroit Pistons will take on the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs. In order to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2017-18, the star-studded Cavaliers will need to take down top-seeded Detroit, led by old friend and former coach J.B. Bickerstaff. The Cavs and Pistons split the season series, with the Pistons finishing with eight more wins than Cleveland.
There's a specific blueprint for beating Cleveland that involves taking and making a lot of 3s, the shot profile this two-big, protect-the-rim, over-help defense tends to allow. Detroit can't shootβafter...