It would be foolish to suggest that there are any favorable first-round NBA Playoff matchups for the Miami Heat, especially with the way they've been playing of late. However, if they had their pick of any of the top 4 seeds in the Eastern Conference to play, you'd have to imagine it would be the Detroit Pistons.
Interestingly, as the Heat continue to fade down the stretch, they may be inching toward the point where they could fall right into that 1 vs. 8 pairing.
And some of the crazies inside that organization would welcome that matchup with open arms.
Why the Heat could view the Pistons as a favorable opponent
It's not just the X's and O's of the matchup against the Pistons; it goes well beyond that. On paper, though, the Heat did go 2-1 against Detroit this season, winning their last two games against them. The one game they lost to them was a three-point defeat.
But it's not just that the Heat have played the Pistons respectable this season. It goes deeper than that.
In theory, the Pistons, of the projected top 4 seeds, are also the team that is less proven of the bunch. They're young, don't have a ton of playoff experience, and their best player is currently sidelined with an injury.
Cade Cunningham is expected to be back by the time the start of the NBA Playoffs rolls around, but if there is any rust, it could be a perfect storm for the upset-minded Heat.
But even beyond the availability of Cunningham, the rest of this Pistons roster is very much unproven. After Cunningham, the team's next three leading scorers wouldn't exactly strike fear into the Heat. Jalen Duren would get the Bam Adebayo assignment, and Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson are really good players, but not the likes that teams scheme around.
While they would never admit it, the Heat would be confident heading into a first-round playoff matchup against the Pistons.
The Heat thrive in the underdog role
And if there's any Play-In Tournament team that has been-there, done-that when it comes to making an unlikely run in the postseason, it's the Heat.
Just a few years ago, the Heat became the first Play-In Tournament team to not only win a playoff series but also go on to make it all the way to the NBA Finals.
That's not to say that this current Heat roster has the same potential (especially without a player like Jimmy Butler walking through that door), but this coaching staff knows what it takes to go on such an unlikely run. Plus, Bam Adebayo, the team's heart and soul, played an instrumental role that season. And he's even better (and playing with much more confidence) now.
I can't imagine anyone is expecting the Heat to go on a similar run, but if they had any shot of doing something similar, it would almost have to begin with a favorable first-round matchup. And, in many ways, the Pistons seem to represent that for the Heat.
For better or worse, because of the Heat's inconsistent play of late, they could be falling backwards into that potential matchup. And it just might play right into the Heat's hands.