The Detroit Pistons dropped an overtime heartbreaker to the Atlanta Hawks, but were still a team that looked playoff-good. Without question, Detroit brought the fight to one of the fastest-rising franchises in the league, and that was without Cade Cunningham on the court. It was a one-point nail-biter of a loss, but it proved that the Pistons are 100% ready to prove the naysayers wrong and go to war this postseason.

Even In A Tough Loss, The Detroit Pistons Looked Playoffs Good

After losing Cunningham to a shocking collapsed lung, the vast majority of the league has been writing the Pistons off. It’s hard to blame them. Cunningham is the leader of the team, not to mention their best player and a two-time All-Star. Losing him is a big deal.

That doesn’t mean that the Pistons still aren’t ready to play. Jalen Duren and Daniss Jenkins have been holding down the fort since Cunningham’s injury. So far, Detroit has won four out of five games without their leader. The only game they’ve lost was to the Hawks, and that was by a margin of one point in overtime. Given the kind of basketball the Hawks have been playing since the trade deadline, staying that close against Atlanta is rather impressive.

In fact, the Pistons looked playoff-good, particularly in the second half. At halftime, the Hawks were up by 18 points. Detroit walked on the court for the third quarter and dropped a 40-piece on Atlanta. By the end of regulation time, the Pistons had tied the game up, giving them a real chance at a win. That’s the kind of tenacity that wins championships.

Never Count The Pistons Out

Sure, it would have been nice to see the Pistons win the game, which they nearly did. It was even better to see them fight so hard in the face of adversity. They know they’re going into the game without one of the top players in the league on the court for them. Detroit was also missing both Marcus Sasser and Isaiah Stewart. These are important parts of the roster, and no team wants to be heading into the playoffs short anyone.

Fans learned more about this Pistons squad in this loss without Cunningham than they did from the last four victories. Detroit could have easily phoned it in for the second half, given how big the gap was and the fact that they are missing their top offensive threat. Instead, they let the Hawks know they were in a fight. That’s what it means to say the Pistons looked playoff-ready.

There’s no question that Atlanta is riding a hot streak. Some people might say they are a dark-horse contender this postseason. However, as Ric Flair used to say, “to be the man, you have to beat the man.” And in the NBA, you have to beat the man four times to move on. The Hawks pulled off a difficult overtime win last night, barely surviving their faceoff with the Pistons. Simply put, Atlanta isn’t going to be able to achieve the same feat four times in a playoff series. The same is true for many of the teams likely heading for the postseason.

Detroit Is Ready For The Next Fight

Keeping in mind that Cunningham is barely over a week into recovering from his collapsed lung, the Pistons remain hopeful that they’ll get him back in time for the Playoffs. Regardless of how good the team is without him, no one wants to go into any fight with one arm tied behind their back.

Still, watching Detroit continue to be highly competitive without Cunningham is huge. The Hawks have quickly become one of the top young teams in the league. Under different circumstances, this easily could have been a blowout in favor of Atlanta. Based on how the Pistons played in the first half of the game, it was looking like that was where this one was going. Instead, it was an absolute barn burner.

Fans want a team that doesn’t give up when they take a stiff punch. That could mean being down 18 points at the end of the first half, or losing your top star to an uncommon basketball injury right before the postseason. The Detroit Pistons have looked playoff-good since losing Cunningham, and that’s not changing any time soon.

Featured Image: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images