Pistons Fall Short in NBA Playoff Predictions - But Will They Pull Off an Upset?

The Detroit Pistons are used to being underdogs, and their bad boy persona fits with being a team that’s not expected to rise to the top.

Now, the Pistons are being projected to do well in the upcoming NBA playoffs and make it to the East finals but ultimately fall to the Boston Celtics.

Zach Kram of ESPN has released a fresh round of NBA playoff predictions, and in the Tuesday, April 14 piece, he has the Pistons falling to the Celtics in the East finals in six games. It’s not hard to envision the Pistons struggling against Derrick White and Boston.

“This conference finals matchup would have seemed improbable in the preseason, when the Pistons appeared to be a rising but still nascent contender and the Celtics looked poised for a ‘gap year’ without (Jayson Tatum),” Kram notes. “But, now it’s a compelling clash between the NBA’s second-best offense and second-best defense, and the likely top two finishers for the Coach of the Year award.”

He adds that the two teams’ wings could be a huge factor in who wins this game. “Tatum (who didn’t play against Detroit this season), Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are two-way stars, while Ausar Thompson and Duncan Robinson are one-way specialists,” he says, adding that he’s giving it to Boston.

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So, will the wings push the Celtics to a win in this series? It’s a tough call, but I just think the Detroit Pistons want this win more. If they stay healthy, and that’s a big if, J.B. Bickerstaff will light fire under these guys to make sure they bring their A-game every night. Watching Bickerstaff courtside, he looks like a coach hungry, make that starving, for a championship. The Pistons have come so far in just two seasons, and if the team isn’t injured, Bickerstaff’s passion is likely to put them over the edge.

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But, first the Detroit Pistons will take on the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, April 19, in the first game of the initial playoff series.

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 11:06 AM.