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It is said that you can throw out head-to-head records from the regular season once the playoffs begin, but the Knicks especially need to prove that adage is accurate if they hope to achieve their goal of advancing deeper into the postseason following two consecutive second-round eliminations.
If the seeds hold in the Eastern Conference, the No. 3 Knicks would have to face Detroit, Boston and Cleveland — three teams they posted a combined 1-11 record against despite winning 51 games this season — beginning with the revitalized Pistons in the opening round starting Saturday night at the Garden.
The lone victory versus that group came against their first-round opponent in November, marking the Knicks’ 16th straight against them since the 2019-20 campaign.
Perhaps what followed was somewhat misleading because the Knicks were missing multiple starters/rotation players in two games against Detroit thereafter, but rising star Cade Cunningham and the tough and athletic Pistons seized the final three to grab the season series, helping them improve by 30 wins under first-year coach J.B. Bickerstaff following an NBA-worst 14-68 mark one year ago.