The 60-win Detroit Pistons disappointed with a Game 7 blowout loss at home in round two to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but their weaknesses were exposed in the quarterfinal against the Orlando Magic. 

Keep in mind that the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that beat the Pistons, have another capable ball handler next to their best player. The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, which are the best two teams in the playoffs now facing off in the Western Conference finals, have three shot creators each. It only adds to the urgency that the Indiana Pacers will return to contending status next season after a gap year because of the injuries, and they also have at least three dependable ball handlers.

Ausar Thompson is entering his fourth year, but he is not ready to be even the third offensive option in Detroit. Tobias Harris had great moments in the playoffs, but can’t be the second scorer, and Duncan Robson is a top-notch release valve. 

The worst thing the Pistons could do is get comfortable because title windows are short. Cade Cunningham, who averaged an awful 5.6 turnovers through two rounds, needs more help on offense in the form of another high-level shot creator, and finding one should be the top priority of the off-season. They should be thinking about big fish like Jaylen Brown or Ja Morant, and if they have to give up something valuable, then so be it. 

It will be a painful offseason for those kept around, and Thompson even said in the locker room after defeat that the team would “let it sting.” Their effort in Game 7 lacked the same intensity they displayed in three-straight elimination games against the Magic and two nights previously in Cleveland. It was similar to how flat the Miami Heat came out at home in Game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, which they lost after being the first seed that year.  

Humiliation is one of the best teachers and it’s something great players have experienced before taking a leap. Nobody should be writing off Jalen Duren, who averaged 9.3 less points in the playoffs, and Thompson for that reason.

The Pistons had a 16-win improvement in the 2025-26 regular season — if they make a similar leap next year, not in terms of wins but in potency, then they’ll be one of the top squads in the league with a better shot at the tile.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are still the team to beat on their quest for back-to-back titles, even with Jalen Williams hamstring injury keeping him absent so far, but the San Antonio Spurs are reaching for the throne. The upcoming clash between the regular season’s top-two Western powers will begin on Monday in OKC.

They played five times before the playoffs, which included an NBA Cup game, with the Spurs winning four of them, but considering how the physicality has been raised 80° since, it’s hard to use those games to gauge which team has the advantage.

Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony imparted his wisdom in his interview with D.J. Siddiqi on these matters, saying, “ “Regular season doesn’t mean anything right now. It’s a different brand of basketball. I know people want to put one up against the other, but it’s a different brand of basketball. Nobody’s even thinking about regular season once you’re in the playoffs.”

Another thing the Hall of Famer is sure about is that great players can’t be shut down. Much of that has to do with the rules favoring the offensive player since hand checks are outlawed and carrying violations are not always enforced, which is a huge disadvantage for the man back peddling. Nonetheless, when it comes to Victor Wembanyama, the challenge is making it difficult for him for “48 minutes.”

The Thunder will try but, Wembanyama‘s height and passing gifts make him a threat to dissect double teams. That’s a lethal combination with three high-level ball handlers that eat up schemes at the point of attack. The challenge gets tougher since he is a good roamer without the ball behind the arc and on the baseline. He’s shown he can be dormant while he waits for his teammates to get going, then he turns into a supernova.

Guarding Wemby presents even more problems because he can dribble up court, and pull up from long range. Setting early pick up points against that are not the same as sending them at someone like Kevin Durant, who is still close to seven feet, but not skyscraper big.  The playoffs have made it clear that using bully-ball to bother Wembanyama gets canceled out by his length.

On the other side, one thing the Thunder could try is to make Wembanyama work by limiting Isaiah Hartenstein’s minutes on the floor with him. While Hartenstein has a nice jump hook from the short to mid range area, Wembanyama can complicate things for OKC by sagging off to the middle like he did against Portland and Minnesota successfully. If Chet Holmgren is playing center, it will force Wembanyama to guard a real scoring option.

As the stakes rise with each round and coverages get tighter, this could be a tough series for Luke Kornet because he is a slower-footed disruptor, most ineffective outside of the lane. It’s not what the Spurs want to do, but this could mean Wemby playing close to 40 minutes a game because he’s a much stronger against screen rolls, especially if they are coming from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Anthony said Wembanyama is the best defender in the NBA — it helps that he’s got major help because opposing ball handlers have a quality disruptor switched on to them at every turn. Still, the Thunder are capable of matching San Antonio’s defensive potency and bring their own edge to that side.

All of the talent featured in this Western Conference Finals could create a classic series that will be remembered for decades. Make no mistake: this series will be the equivalent of two heavyweights facing off in a title eliminator. 

The NBA probably doesn’t have the stones to suspend Victor Wembanyama for viciously and intentionally elbowing Naz Reid in the throat, but they should. His good reputation will help his case, but chief disciplinarian James Jones has to make sure his penalty is more than a fine because there was potential for catastrophic damage and a big brawl.

It was the biggest elbow thrown in the NBA since Metta World Peace (now Metta Sandiford-Artest) brutalized James Harden in 2012 with a strike to the dome. MWP got suspended for seven games.

Thank goodness Reid is OK, but if that elbow had flown higher, we could be talking about a fractured jaw with teeth on the court, or a broken orbital bone. It doesn’t matter that Wembanyama was being held and fouled hard because he overreacted.

Had he stayed in the game, there’s a good chance the San Antonio Spurs would have taken a 3-1 lead. Anthony Edwards had to go HAM, scoring 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter. Now the Minnesota Timberwolves remain dangerous as the series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5. Keep in mind that the winner of a Game 5 when both teams are tied at 2-2 advances 81.5 percent of the time.

Naturally, some will jump to this reality: if it were Draymond Green, he’d get suspended, like he was for one game in the 2023 playoffs, among many occasions, for stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ ribs, after his ankle was held.

Wemby waited at the bench for a referee review and appeared to not know the rule, making an ejection mandatory for a Flagrant Two.

It’s a decision that will have huge consequences for the series, and no way both teams will be satisfied. Still, the league shouldn’t create any impression that they are soft on hostile acts because things could backfire with more elbows or fisticuffs flying. 

As for Wemby, some opponents will back off because he means business when you get rough with him, but others will test his limits to see if he loses his head in an another important game.  

Update

Wembanyama was not suspended, nor did he receive a fine. Clearly, preferential treatment was shown. Hard to imagine that Jones would have demonstrated the same lack of discipline if someone had elbowed the NBA’s new golden goose in the throat.

The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t advanced to a Conference Finals and Finals since 2018, which was LeBron James’ last year with them.

They are tied with the Toronto Raptors and Game 5 is in Cleveland on Wednesday. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the Cavs in year four of the Donovan Mitchell experience. Coach Kenny Atkinson says his most important role is making sure his players don’t get too high or too low.

In this series, defense and physicality have been the story. The Raptors are a long, fast and athletic team, and while the Cavs are more talented, they are smaller at times and some of their big guys are not significantly powerful, despite their skills.

No team has lost at home yet. If that trend continues, the Raptors won’t make it out of the first round, but they’ve tested the Wine and Gold in ways that don’t make it encouraging for their prospects against the Orlando Magic or Detroit Pistons. They’ve had trouble guarding Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Collin Murray-Boyles, and they are shooting between 52.3 and 65.9 percent against Cleveland. They are not a super trio but it’s a bad matchup for the Cavs. At some instances it looks like the Cavs are a team of super middleweights competing against light heavyweights. 

The Magic are now dealing with Franz Wagner’s calf injury, but they still have Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, two strong, dynamic scorers. The Pistons are down 3-1 in that series and while it looks bleak, it’s not over. If they manage to beat the Magic, they’ll be affected by not having a high-level shot creator next to Cunningham, but the way he, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart can pressure opponents should not be underestimated.  They’ve been the biggest reasons why the Magic are shooting 38.7 percent in the series.

Notably, every winner of Game 1 in the first round of the 2025 playoffs won their series. The only team that won Game 1 in this year’s postseason that is behind is the Denver Nuggets, down 3-2 to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yet most importantly, since 1984, the winner of a Game 5 when a series is tied a 2-2 advances 81.5 percent of the time, per the NBA’s Facts and Figures.

Quick note on the San Antonio Spurs 

The Spurs finished off the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. Keep in mind that they missed Victor Wembanyama from early in Game 2’s loss because of a nasty concussion, and won the next one without him on the road, coming back from down 15 points with 17 minutes left in Game 3. They couldn’t be stopped when Wemby came back and now they are sitting pretty, waiting for the winners of the Denver- Minnesota series. 

The Nuggets have the mighty Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, but the team struggles to defend the perimeter, and their coverages are even more compromised with Aaron Gordon’s calf injury. And the Timberwolves lost Donte DiVincenzo to a torn Achilles tendon, and it’s unclear when Anthony Edwards will be back after hyperextending his left knee. Edwards was already dealing with knee trouble on the right side. 

Regardless of who the Spurs see, they will have the edge.

The Nuggets’ road trip to Minnesota was a failure, and they fell 3-1, on the verge of an early vacation, at the fangs of the Timberwolves. Keep in mind that Donte DiVicenzo tore his Achilles tendon a few minutes into the game, and Anthony Edwards couldn’t proceed in the second half after grotesquely hyperextending his left knee.

The Nuggets had Aaron Gordon, who missed Game 3, back wounded with a calf injury. He played 23 minutes and it was 23 minutes too long because he rarely showed any burst to pressure the ball or had lift on his legs to attack. 

Ayo Dosunmu gutted the Nuggets with 43 bench points on 76.5 percent shooting and was the main story of the game, and Rudy Gobert did another fine job of slowing down Nikola Jokić.

Yet, late-game foolishness is partially overshadowing the outcome: Jokić didn’t like that their gracious hosts were going to run up the score, so he charged at Jaden McDaniels by the sideline, getting in his personal space and forcing him to put his hands up to shove. Naturally, the Timberwolves’ bench being steps away was not pleased, coming forward, which is a violation that causes a suspension. Yet the NBA has not always enforced it.

Complaining about the score is soft, especially when the king of drop coverage hurts his team, being such a poor and unwilling pick-and-roll defender. Keep in mind that he’s also been way below standards on offense, too, making only 39.1 percent of attempts, being uncareful and not the same volume of playmaker, in part because of how hounding the Wolves have been on his teammates.

It’s unclear how the new head of NBA discipline James Jones will rule, but he should suspend Jokić. If someone did what he did to another on the sidewalk or in another public place in front of law-enforcement, good chance they’re getting booked with battery.  Athletes shouldn’t get away with doing things normal people can’t for the sake of entertainment or somehow them being special. 

One could even interpret the situation as him trying to be a martyr by causing a reaction from Minnesota’s bench. Still, the potential for making things worse in that regard should be weighted against him in the verdict. 

Jokić’s behavior was unbecoming of a champion, especially one of his status. 

Coach David Adelman thinks “it’s hilarious that the narrative is offense doesn’t matter. If you shoot 24 percent in the second half, it’s hard to win.” Of course it matters, but he should more worried about how his team knew they couldn’t hang with the Wolves.