The Detroit Pistons are riding high this season, and they’ve earned it. After a promising campaign that ended in a first-round playoff exit last year, this team has taken a clear step forward.
With a strong All-Star presence and a top spot in the latest power rankings, Detroit looks like a squad ready to make some real postseason noise. But if there’s one thing that could complicate that picture, it’s a familiar-and formidable-foe: Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now, on paper, the Bucks don’t look like a major threat. They’re sitting at 23-30, a full 17 games behind the Pistons in the standings.
That’s a big gap. Detroit has also taken two of three games from Milwaukee this season.
But here’s where things get tricky: Giannis didn’t play in either of those Pistons wins, and he logged only limited minutes in the one game the Bucks actually won. In other words, the Pistons haven’t really had to deal with a full-strength Giannis yet this year.
And history? It’s not exactly on Detroit’s side.
Antetokounmpo is 34-11 against the Pistons over his career. Sure, a lot of those wins came during Detroit’s rebuilding years, but the numbers are what they are.
Until the Pistons prove they can consistently beat Milwaukee with Giannis on the court, the Bucks still hold that big-brother status in the Central Division.
That’s why the idea of a first-round playoff matchup between these two teams is more than just a hypothetical-it’s a scenario that could get real, fast. The Bucks have won two straight and are just a game and a half behind the Hawks for the final play-in spot. With the Bulls and Hawks making moves that suggest they’re more focused on the future than the present, Milwaukee has a real shot at climbing into the play-in mix.
And if the Bucks get there with a healthy Giannis? Look out.
There are only a handful of players in the league who can tilt a playoff series by themselves, and Antetokounmpo is on that short list. None of the teams in the play-in picture have a player of his caliber, and that makes Milwaukee a potential landmine for a top-seeded team in the first round.
Injuries have played a big role in Milwaukee’s underwhelming season, but if they can get their core back in time, they’ll be a much tougher out than their record suggests. And while it would be a powerful statement for Detroit to knock off the Bucks in a symbolic changing of the guard, there’s no doubt the Pistons would prefer a smoother path through the early rounds.
They’ll never say it out loud-this team believes it can beat anyone, and that confidence is well-earned-but behind closed doors, you can bet they wouldn’t mind if someone else had to deal with Giannis first.