Pistons favorites to go all the way — almost

The Detroit Pistons are gearing up for the moment the Motor City has been waiting for all season: the 2026 NBA playoffs. The Pistons will find out if they're going up against the Charlotte Hornets or Orlando Magic on Friday, April 17, but NBA analysts are already tagging Detroit as a favorite to go all the way. The Pistons have that legendary "bad boy" persona, and they'll need it going into these games. In just a few short years, Cade Cunningham and this team have risen to the top of the NBA, but they still have something to prove. Now, let's get to the predictions. Over at CBS Sports, Jasmyn Wimbish has the Pistons going all the way but falling in the finals. Hey, even getting to the finals would be huge for the Pistons, but why not win it all? "In the East, while the Pistons have a flawed roster, primarily when it comes to shooting depth, I'm putting all my confidence in their defense to get them to the NBA Finals," he says in the piece. "Either that, or they get caught off guard by the upstart Hornets who can run a team off the floor when their 3s are falling." He adds, "But I'm still inclined to go with the team that has earned their No. 1 spot atop the conference with a suffocating, physical defense that can be a headache to get points against." So, he has the Pistons and Thunder in the NBA finals, but he gives the edge to OKC. He says, "Detroit has the defense, but in a matchup against a deep Thunder team is where we'll see all of Detroit's flaws magnified on a great scale." The Detroit Pistons shouldn't be underrated this year. Last season, it would have been a stretch for them to get past the Knicks, and they didn't, but this season, they're older, wiser and tighter. It's not far-fetched to think this team could bring home a championship, and it's entirely realistic to think they'll at least reach the finals.