Isaiah Stewart Addresses Massive Win Over Their Rival New York Knicks

Last season, the New York Knicks met the surprising Detroit Pistons in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and while it was competitive, the Jalen Brunson-led Knicks came away victorious in six games. That's led to a renewed rivalry between the two, with the two teams sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference for much of the 2025⁠–26 campaign to this point.

The two teams recently met, and unsurprisingly, many were using the game for Detroit as a measuring stick to see just how good they are, with their victory proving that this team is for real this season. However, no one in Detroit celebrated this like it was any different from another win, with big man Isaiah Stewart pointing out that the locker room expects to win games like this moving forward.

"It means a lot, but at the same time, we're not celebrating like we won the championship. We were supposed to do this tonight, and we all felt this way."

This shows just how much this organization and team have grown in confidence over the past 12 months, and with Cade Cunningham leading a deep, versatile team, it's easy to see why they're considered a genuine NBA Finals contender this season.

On paper, this team matches up with the Knicks and every team in the Eastern Conference, and while the NBA playoffs are a different game entirely, with this depth, balance, and confidence, there's no reason why this team can't go deep in 2025⁠–26.