Sports journalist Bill Simmons recently continued the league-wide playoff disrespect the Pistons have received. He and Zach Lowe conducted a so-called “Scary Playoff Team Draft” on an episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast, ranking Detroit 11th. It’s just another iteration of the same opinion the naysayers have been parroting all season long, that the Pistons aren’t a playoff-ready team.

Playoff Disrespect for the Pistons Plays Right into Their Hands

Calling a list a “Scary Playoff Draft” or some version of that is a cute way of ranking the teams heading for the postseason. Really, it’s just a breakdown of how dominant Simmons and Lowe expect a team to be in the playoffs. It’s a fair topic to discuss.

Having the Pistons 11th on that list while being first in the Eastern Conference all season is basically par for the course. Despite having a 55-21 record going into the last few games, there is still an endless parade of doubters out there. It’s becoming one of the easiest opinions for any basketball pundit in the business to have.

Keep in mind that the haters were out in full force before Cade Cunningham’s crazy collapsed lung injury. That whole situation has just dumped a few gallons of gasoline on an already ridiculous bonfire.

The Pistons Have Been Marked for an Early Exit

Basically, pundits like Simmons and Lowe are not expecting much from Detroit in the playoffs. They consider them to be an inexperienced and unproven team. The Pistons’ first playoff appearance in the Cunningham era was last year. They ended up losing to the Knicks in six games, which wasn’t terrible all things considered.

Detroit definitely experienced a bit of disrespect last year as well. The difference was that they were not ready for the playoffs at all, including Cunningham. Detroit hasn’t won a postseason series since 2008.

Cunningham has only been in the league since 2021, and the postseason comes with a bit of a learning curve. Last year’s first-round exit was an important step on the path to playoff success. Sometimes, the best possible thing for a team like the Pistons is to dip a toe into the postseason water to see what works and what doesn’t.

What the Pundits are Missing About Detroit

It’s not hard to understand why pundits like Simmons and Lowe were easily sucked into the cycle of disrespect for the Pistons early in the season. They won eight out of their first ten games, but no one was sure if the hype was real at that point.

Now, everyone should realize the Pistons are legit. They met the 40/20 rule created by coaching legend Phil Jackson. He said you could tell which teams were legit contenders if they earned 40 wins before they hit 20 losses. The Pistons have certainly met that criteria. On top of that, they have beaten some of the toughest teams in the East, including the Knicks, Celtics, and Hawks.

If that’s not enough, Detroit has a winning record without their star player. The Pistons have gone 6-2 since Cunningham’s injury—and both of those losses were close ones.

This Postseason Disrespect Gives the Pistons an Edge

Considering all of that, it seems ridiculous that anyone would continue to underestimate Detroit’s potential in the postseason. The reality is that it actually gives the Pistons an edge. They want teams looking past them to the next round. It gives them an opening to take advantage of, which can be enough to win in the playoffs.

More importantly, it’s motivation. Being told that you’re not a contender even when you’re one of the top teams in the league has to light a fire under you. The Pistons are already a great team. Playing with a chip on their shoulders makes them dangerous.

If pundits like Simmons and Lowe aren’t believers already, nothing’s going to change in the last few games of the season. But the Pistons don’t need them to. While winning a title against Western Conference teams like the Thunder or the Spurs would be tough, that shouldn’t mean Detroit doesn’t have what it takes to make the NBA Finals. It’s time the Pistons put this playoff disrespect to bed.

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