{"id":699076,"date":"2026-04-05T04:52:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T04:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/699076\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T04:52:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T04:52:45","slug":"pistons-clinch-no-1-seed-in-east-who-will-they-play-in-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/699076\/","title":{"rendered":"Pistons clinch No. 1 seed in East; who will they play in playoffs?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Detroit Pistons<\/a> are the best team in the Eastern Conference in the regular season \u2013 officially. And it comes just two years after the worst season in franchise history<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Pistons (57-21) have clinched the No. 1 seed in the East after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, 116-93, on Saturday night. The Boston Celtics (52-25) are 4\u00bd games back, but lost three of four to Detroit.<\/p>\n

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This is the first time the Pistons have earned the No. 1 seed since 2006-07, a 53-win season that ended with a 4-2 series loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Pistons will have to await the conclusion of the NBA Play-In Tournament to learn their opponent in the first round of the playoffs, which begin April 18. The Play-In Tournament begins April 14, two days after the regular season ends April 12.<\/p>\n

GOT NEXT: Ranking the Pistons’ potential first round playoff matchups<\/a><\/p>\n

The Pistons are expected to open the playoffs Sunday, April 19 by hosting Game 1 against the East Play-In Tournament winner of the game between the 7-8 loser vs. 9-10 winner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Pistons are likely to face one of five teams<\/a> in the first round: Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, Philadelphia or Toronto. Here’s a look at the teams seeded 6-10 in the East standings through Saturday.<\/p>\n

6. Toronto Raptors, 43-34<\/p>\n

7. Philadelphia 76ers, 43-35<\/p>\n

8. Charlotte Hornets, 42-36<\/p>\n

Teams seeded 7-10 will compete in the Play-In Tournament, beginning Tuesday, April 14.<\/p>\n

With four games remaining, the Pistons still have a chance to crack 60 wins for only the third time in franchise history.<\/p>\n

It has been a milestone-filled season. The Pistons clinched the Central Division on March 31<\/a>, marking their first time since 2008 doing so.<\/p>\n

“You take pride in understanding how hard it is to do any of those things in this league,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff, in his second season<\/a>, said March 31. “You take pride in the fact that you have a group of young guys, young men who collectively have grown and achieved certain milestones. It\u2019s a part of the process, and we expect more. But you just respect how difficult it is to do any of those things in this league. It is a big deal for our guys and this organization to get ourselves back in that position and in position to do more, because you can’t win the level you want to win at if you don\u2019t take those steps.”<\/p>\n

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Here’s how the potential first-round matchups rank for the Pistons from most challenging to least.<\/p>\n

No. 1: Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n

Projected starting five:\u00a0LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabat\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Season series:\u00a02-0 Detroit.<\/p>\n

The Buzz:\u00a0The Hornets are better than their 42-36 record. They have performed more like a contender than a play-in team since the turn of the calendar, going 31-14 and boasting the No. 1 offense<\/a> and No. 4 defense<\/a> and the No. 1 point differential in that span at 11.4<\/a> per 100 possessions. They also are top three in 3-point percentage and percentage of shots taken from 3, which makes them especially dangerous against a Pistons team that doesn’t shoot well and prefers to score in the paint.<\/p>\n

No. 2: Miami Heat<\/p>\n

Projected starting five:\u00a0Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo.<\/p>\n

Season series:\u00a02-1 Miami.<\/p>\n

The Buzz:\u00a0The Pistons and Heat have had several memorable battles in recent seasons, including consecutive overtime wins for the Pistons last season and a Cade Cunningham game-winner. Herro and Adebayo are proven playoff performers and the Heat shoot well from 3. Coach Erik Spoelstra has long been renowned as one of the league’s top tacticians. They’re equipped to challenge the Pistons in a seven-game series.<\/p>\n

No. 3: Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n

Projected starting five:\u00a0Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Dominick Barlow, Paul George, Joel Embiid.<\/p>\n

Season series:\u00a04-0 Detroit.<\/p>\n

The Buzz:\u00a0It’s tough to judge the Sixers, who have withstood injuries to Maxey and Embiid and a 25-game suspension for George. All three have returned, and a full-strength Philadelphia likely would outperform its regular season numbers. Embiid and Maxey are among the league’s elite scorers, and their offense ranks in the top-10 over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n

No. 4: Toronto Raptors<\/p>\n

Projected starting five:\u00a0Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Jacob Poeltl.<\/p>\n

Season series:\u00a02-1 Detroit.<\/p>\n

The Buzz:\u00a0The Pistons have won eight of nine against the Raptors. Toronto has a strong, balanced starting-five but has played at roughly a .500 pace after a 14-5 start to the season that included a nine-game winning streak. The Pistons’ 113-95 blowout of the Raptors in February may be an accurate indicator of how a playoff series would go, as Toronto struggled with their physicality and had no solution for Cunningham.<\/p>\n

No. 5: Orlando Magic<\/p>\n

Projected starting five:\u00a0Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.<\/p>\n

Season series:\u00a02-1 Detroit.<\/p>\n

The Buzz:\u00a0Michigan alumnus and Magic star Franz Wagner just came back after nursing a high left ankle sprain. The Pistons otherwise have matched up well with the Magic this season, particularly defensively. Without a sturdy Wagner, it’s tough to envision having the firepower to compete the Pistons through seven games. But if he’s healthy, the Magic become more dynamic on offense.<\/p>\n

Watch the most recent episode of our podcast, “The Pistons Pulse,\u201d streamed live weekly on the Detroit Free Press\u00a0YouTube channel<\/a>\u00a0or listen wherever you get podcasts.<\/p>\n

Contact\u00a0Omari Sankofa II<\/a>\u00a0at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him\u00a0on Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0and\/or\u00a0X @omarisankofa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons playoff matchup next with Eastern Conference 1-seed clinched<\/a><\/p>\n