The Pistons have held the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference since early November and have maintained a firm grip on that spot. At 42-14, Detroit has a 4.5-game lead on its next-closest competitor in the conference and has a 10-2 record against the other Eastern teams currently in playoff (ie. top-six) position.
However, there are still questions about the Pistons’ ability to win three consecutive playoff series and represent the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals. A relative lack of postseason experience is one potential concern. Detroit’s first-round exit last spring represented the team’s first playoff appearance since 2019 and the only taste of the postseason that young stars like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren have gotten so far.
A lack of offensive firepower is another possible red flag for the Pistons. The team leans heavily on Cunningham for scoring and shot creation and lacks reliable play-makers and knock-down shooters alongside him. Detroit ranks 28th in the NBA in three-point makes per game (11.1).
Monday’s loss to San Antonio exposed those flaws and cast a spotlight on Trajan Langdon‘s decision not to be more aggressive at this month’s trade deadline, notes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). The Pistons’ only real pre-deadline acquisition was wing Kevin Huerter, who has struggled with his outside shot this season and fallen out of the team’s rotation in the past three games.
If not the Pistons, who else could come out of the East this spring? Well, the Celtics hold the No. 2 seed despite being without Jayson Tatum all season as the All-NBA forward recovers from an Achilles tear. With Jaylen Brown taking on the primary role, Boston has built the best offense in the conference without its usual leading scorer, writes Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic, posting a 120.0 offensive rating that exceeds the team’s mark from 2024/25.
Still, there’s no guarantee Tatum will be able to return to action before the end of this season, and the Celtics would miss him more in big postseason moments than they do in a typical regular season game. And even if Tatum does make it back in the coming weeks, is it realistic to expect him to be back to his old self in time for the playoffs after such a lengthy layoff and challenging rehab process?
The Knicks, who have the NBA’s third-best offensive rating, hold the No. 3 spot in the East at 37-22 and are coming off a conference finals appearance in 2025. New York is a good team, but under new head coach Mike Brown, the club has also looked “like a world beater one quarter and a bottom-feeder the next,” according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who suggests we may not know for sure until the playoffs how good the Knicks really are.
Interestingly, none of those three teams are currently the betting favorites to win the East, according to most sportsbooks. That honor belongs to the Cavaliers, who have looked resurgent in recent weeks after a shaky start to the season and have pulled into a tie with the Knicks at 37-22. The Cavs, winners of 13 of their past 15 games, have “renewed confidence” following the deadline acquisition of James Harden, head coach Kenny Atkinson said following his team’s victory over New York on Tuesday (story via Jamal Collier of ESPN).
“We understand we’re a better team,” Atkinson said. “That spirit, that confidence for some strange reason, it makes you play harder, compete harder, compete harder defensively. I felt like we were kind of missing that edge, that belief. I feel like we’re regaining that. A lot of it has to do with who we added in the trade.”
The Cavaliers were widely viewed as a favorite to win the East in the fall after winning 64 regular season games in 2024/25 and being derailed by injuries in the playoffs. Enthusiasm about their ceiling waned as they hovered around .500 through Christmas, but it has been building again as of late. For what it’s worth, the Cavs are also the only one of the East’s projected playoff teams that doesn’t have a losing record against the Pistons so far in ’25/26 — the teams have split their two matchups.
The Raptors, Sixers, Magic, Heat, Hawks, and Hornets are all lurking in the Eastern Conference playoff picture as potential threats.
A Philadelphia team that has Joel Embiid and Paul George wouldn’t be an easy out. The same is true of a fully healthy Orlando squad, though we haven’t seen that very often in the past year or two. Charlotte still has a ways to go to even make the playoffs and would be an underdog in a first-round series, but few teams have been hotter in recent weeks — since January 22, only the Cavs (12-2) and Spurs (11-2) have a better record than the Hornets (12-3).
We want to know what you think. Which team do you expect to represent the East in the NBA Finals this season? Is Tatum’s potential return the wild card that could swing your decision or are there other factors you think will ultimately determine how the postseason plays out in the Eastern Conference?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
A James Harden team is the betting favorite come playoff time?
I don’t gamble, but maybe I should.
Had Cade winning MVP before the season. Detroit is a great team, but I feel like they long grueling schedule will burn them out this year. Cavs, I don’t trust Harden to do anything in April/May. C’s are overachieving and Brown has been a top 5 player this year, but don’t believe they have enough without Tatum. Knicks are the Knicks, that should tell you everything. Raptors are a nice story. 76ers haven’t sniffed anything since 2001 and I don’t plan they’ll start in 2026. I think it’ll be all about matchups at the end of the day. Pistons and Celtics in the East Finals. Cavs need Mobley not Harden to advance in June. He’s the key factor on that team.
If Tatum comes back, it’ll be the Celtics pretty easily. If not, it’ll be the Pistons and Knicks dueling it out in the ECF, and the series can go either way.
100%.
The pairing of Kat and Brunson is bad. They have zero effective plays drawn between them. No pick and roll, no pick and pop, and no flare screens. Two ball dominant chubby cakes. At least Brunson tries hard on defense though. Knicks peaked at the cup.
Celtics aren’t going to beat the pistons with or without a healthy Tatum, because Cade Cunningham is a far better two way player than Jaylen Brown, and both teams will lean on them heavily. Cade just has a far better ball handle, decision making, and pick and roll options.
Celtics will be hard to beat though with Derrick white and Pritchard playing out of their minds, but I think the ball will stick in browns hands too much and for too long.
I like both guys and I agree that I’d take Cunningham over JB. Obviously Detroit’s bigs are better, but the C’s shooting is much better. I think that would be the most interesting matchup stylistically since it would be near polar opposites. Coaching and experience does matter though although that can be overcome. I like what the Pistons are doing. Cavs are looking good, but I don’t trust them, but I trust them more than the Knicks and think they just have a better vibe right now. Celtics without Tatum are still dangerous, with Tatum could take them up a notch, but Detroit, Celtics is the series I want to see. I don’t think an East team wins it all unless there’s a shocking winner out of the West. Spurs are young, but I like their versatility. thunder are the Thunder. Nuggets have the best player and you’d think they’d be healthy if they make it that far. I really only think three teams can truly make it from both conferences, but injuries happen unfortunately. I’m rooting for the Sixers bc Idk why I like Embiid, I guess I just feel bad for his failing health and I like their young guys. I hate injuries even to players I loathe minus maybe when Tom Brady was out that one year haha.
Celtics as long Tatum don’t come back
I pick the Cavs to win the East
Why?
Tyson and Merrill are the best 3-point combo shooters in the nba
I don’t have a lot of confidence in a Donovan Mitchell lead playoff team. Too many 5-17 postseason performances and hero ball. Add James Harden to the mix and they are second round exit guaranteed.
I said watch out for Cavs. They are deeper and better. Harden is having a year. His playmaking and scoring adds a lot to Cavs. Makes other players better. Pistons have proven they are for real. Cavs and Knicks are more playoff proven. Celtics and Pistons are tough. In a 7 gm series i’ll take Knicks or Cavs.
To me biggest issue with Knicks is coach Brown. He hasn’t helped the players he was brought here to help. And relies too much on Jalen to bail his aaa out. Knicks better get their act together. Or they won’t make East Finals ….
I didn’t like the move to go to Brown as coach. I mean, he’s fine, but I don’t think it’s a dramatic ceiling changer from Thibs. It was more of a do something different to do something different thing. I don’t trust Harden come playoffs. He definitely makes his teammates better, but he does dumb sh@t in the playoffs and tries to take over when he shouldn’t. Maybe it’s different, but he has to prove me wrong.
Celtics. Especially if Tatum is back. Not confident they can beat OKC but
I’d love to see Detroit, but they have to get to the eastern conference finals first. Maybe next season but they sure look good and are ahead of their timeline already.
I think it’s the Knicks turn to grind one out. Pulling for Mike Brown to come out of the east.