On November 23, the Miami Heat will play the 4-12 Detroit Pistons. The Heat (11-6) are looking to bounce back from a tough loss against the Washington Wizards.
They will do so against the current 14th seed in the Eastern Conference. Although the records and talent levels of both rosters are significantly different, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for this game.
First, it will be the first time Miami goes up against the first pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, Cade Cunningham. After shaking off a few games of rust, Cunningham now seems to be finding his rhythm in the NBA.
He has contributed some decent games for the Pistons recently. He will look to continue to do so against Miami.
The Miami Heat have other plans. Although they have yet to play against the rookie, meaning they have little scouting to plan for it, the Heat will look to put a stop to Cunningham’s recent hot streak.
The Heat are a defensive powerhouse in the East. It will be interesting to see how they prepare for this Pistons game, specifically concerning how the Pistons rookie is dealt with.
After both teams dealt with physical altercations this season, the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons will play each other. What will happen when they collide?
The next reason to look forward to this game is the biggest reason why this one is so intriguing. In their previous game against the Los Angeles Lakers, an altercation broke loose between Isaiah Stewart of the Pistons and LeBron James of the Lakers.
It was a chaotic and shocking scene. While both teams and the officials tried their best to avoid history repeating itself, you couldn’t help but harken back to the infamous Malice at the Palace incident that involved this Detroit Pistons team.
Below is a clip of the altercation. Both players involved were ejected from the game.
LeBron James received a one-game suspension for his blow, while Stewart received a two-game suspension for his attempts to escalate the situation.
The Lakers and Pistons had to be separated multiple times after this play between LeBron and Isaiah Stewart. pic.twitter.com/im0o7fXeoI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 22, 2021
After being involved in such a physical incident, what better team is there for the Pistons to play next than the Miami Heat? Well, that is exactly how the schedule unfolds.
The team that was just involved in one of the biggest NBA altercations since the Malice at the Palace, will be facing one of the toughest and most physical NBA teams in recent years.
The Heat have already been involved in one of their own altercations this season. Theirs was between Markieff Morris and Nikola Jokic.
The team vehemently defended Morris in the best way they could. Now, the Heat look to bring that passion into every game they play.
There shouldn’t be any serious altercations like the two we have seen so far this season, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see these teams going at each other. The Pistons have been a historically tough and physical culture.
The same can be said for the Heat. This matchup is definitely worth the watch to see how both teams respond to their respective situations, especially with their high competitive spirits.