The Detroit Pistons have been the most surprising team in the NBA this season, and they're the primary threat to come out of the Eastern Conference. Simply put, they've become the team to beat on this side of the bracket.
That's why Kenny Atkinson and his coaching staff are probably taking notes of every matchup. Considering that, Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs may have given them the blueprint to neutralize them.
The Spurs handed the Pistons their 14th loss of the season during their recent trip to Motor City. They forced every Piston not named Cade Cunningham to make shots, and that proved to be J.B. Bickerstaff's team's demise.
The Cavaliers just learned how to take down the Pistons
Mitch Johnson's game plan was clear: We're not going to let Cunningham beat us. Yes, the former No. 1 pick took a whopping 26 shots, six more than his season average (19.5), but he converted just five of those, nearly half of what he usually does (8.9).
The Spurs swarmed Cunningham on every possession. He had at least one guy right in front of him on every drive or pull-up attempt, and everybody else failed to step up and pick up some of the slack on the offensive end of the floor.
Cunningham finished the game with 10 assists, which is essentially his season average. Even so, only Jalen Duren (25) had more points for the Pistons than him. Ron Holland had 15 on 13 shots, and Duncan Robinson scored 13 on 5-of-15 shooting. That's not sustainable in a seven-game series.
The Cavaliers know firsthand that Bickerstaff is far from an offensive genius. His Pistons will play tough, gritty, physical defense, but they will only go as far as Cunningham can take them on the offensive end of the floor.
Hero ball doesn't get the job done in the playoffs, and they didn't add a secondary shot-maker to the team at the trade deadline. If anything, they gave up on Jaden Ivey, who, despite his injury and inconsistent play, has the talent and ability to create his own shot, unlike most of their players.
As things stand now, the Cavs are six and a half games behind the Pistons, but they still have two matchups left this season. Kenny Atkinson's team will also have the easiest schedule in the East to close out the regular season, so stealing the No. 1 seed is still pretty much on the table too.