Pistons’ JB Bickerstaff addresses lack of respect, playoff expectations

The Pistons have clinched home court throughout the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Last season, they approached the postseason as a mighty underdog playing with house money as the sixth seed. Now, as the best team in the East, there is an expectation for Detroit to make a serious run. Head coach JB Bickerstaff has made it clear that the Pistons are tuning out the outside noise and focusing on their own vision.

“We don’t focus on it at all, and that’s the best part about it. Our guys don’t live and die by other people’s expectations and comments. Our guys show up and live and die by playing Pistons’ basketball, and that makes it easy,” Bickerstaff explained. “If you don’t have to worry about what everybody says about you, you can just go out and do a job, and it’s purely. Our guys have done that all year long.”

Detroit took the league by storm, finishing with a 60-22 record through the regular season. Last season’s first-round playoff battle against the New York Knicks was one of the most intriguing postseason series. Even though they lost in six games, the future potential of the Pistons’ core was impressively on display. They are now in a position to build on their regular-season momentum and take their growth to another level.

The Pistons’ first-round matchup will be decided on Friday when the Orlando Magic take on the Charlotte Hornets. Detroit has the benefit of resting and preparing while waiting for its opponent to be decided. Backup center Isaiah Stewart spoke on what it means to be in the position they’re in currently.

“It’s different, but it’s a great position to be in. We handled our business in the regular season, so it’s a good position to be in. We’re trying to focus on getting better in areas that we know we can get better in while we wait for who our opponent is. I’m sure as a collective, we’ll be ready to go and ready for whoever we face,” Stewart stated during Pistons’ practice on Wednesday.

Detroit is also working with the benefit of playing with a healthy roster for the first time in a while. There were many questions about the Pistons’ health as the regular season was ending. All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham was unavailable for weeks after suffering a collapsed lung injury against the Washington Wizards. Cunningham was trending towards possibly returning when the playoffs began. However, his recovery went well enough for him to return with three regular-season games left.

Stewart was also in question due to healing from a left calf strain. He returned to the court at the same time as Cunningham when they faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons should be entering the playoffs with a clean bill of health.