DETROIT — Every single time the Celtics and Pistons have matched up this year, it’s been a physical rock fight. All four games have gone to the clutch, and while the Pistons won three times, the Celtics were in each one.
As the C’s and Pistons battled to another close finish Monday, there were certainly murmurs of a potential playoff series. Sam Hauser, after the C’s fell 104-103 to the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, welcomed the idea between the two best teams in the East.
“If it gets to that point, that would be awesome,” Hauser said. “They’re a good team. We’re a good team. And we know that we can compete with the best. And yeah, it’d be great to see them in a playoff series if it gets to that point, for sure.”
The competitiveness is no surprise considering these are the top-2 teams in the East. The Pistons have enjoyed a surprising run to the top of the conference after unexpectedly winning 44 games last season. The Celtics have been their own feel-good story, winning games despite missing Jayson Tatum for the entire year so far.
There’s also been some natural tension from such a physical matchup. Jaylen Brown and Isaiah Stewart have been in a few spats, and they both picked up technical fouls Monday. The chippiness is part of being competitors and a seven-game series would certainly bring out the most in the players.
“You gotta give credit to them,” Brown said. “They’re extremely physical. You feel it on every possession the whole game. I feel like we matched the level of intensity. We matched the level of physicality. But we just came up short.”
While the Celtics remain near the top of the conference, the Pistons are starting to look like their next rivals in the conference. Celtics vs. Heat was the main headliner in the East this decade, including multiple battles in the East Finals, but Miami has struggled the past couple years. The Bucks, the lone other East team to win a title in the 2020s, are also in a state of limbo with Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s uncertain future.
There are certainly other rivals in the East. The Knicks have struggled of late, but they did bounce the Celtics in the East semifinals last playoffs. Then there’s a mix of the Magic, Cavaliers and 76ers. But as of right now, the Pistons are the top dog in the conference courtesy of their 31-10 record.
There’s also still plenty of basketball left until the playoffs. The Celtics just passed the midway point of the year. Tatum could also return after going through an extended workout in front of the media after Monday’s shootaround. But, as of now, if the Celtics and Pistons meet in the playoffs, there’d be a lot of great basketball.
“They’re a very physical team, probably the most physical in the NBA,” Payton Pritchard said. “So that was a hard-fought battle today, and we came ready to play. Didn’t go our way in the end, but you learn from it and get ready — especially if we see them in playoffs.”