Whenever the Indiana Pacers take the court against the Detroit Pistons, things are always a little bit different. At least, they are for me – a Pacers fan living in the heart of Metro Detroit and in the shadow of the now-demolished Palace at Auburn Hills.
Living in a city where sports memories – and grudges – run deep (to this day, people still have beef with my takes on the Malice at the Palace), I always want my Blue and Gold to beat the Pistons. Even still, not everyone sees this matchup as a true rivalry – including Tyrese Haliburton, who said there needs to be a playoff matchup to reignite the intensity.
Well, the Pistons may finally be able to prove the Pacers’ star right.
The Pistons are on a heater – and it could lead to a postseason clash
Who would have guessed that 13 games into this NBA season, the Pistons would have the best record in the East and the 2nd best record in the league behind the reigning champs?
Answer: Not me.
Not only have the Pistons outpaced expectations, they are on a 9-game win streak coming into their matchup against the Pacers a Little Caesar’s Arena. They also lead the league in points in the paint per game at 58.3 and are top five in Opponents’ PPG (112.2). If this were to hold (and there is a lot of basketball left to play), Detroit would take the No. 1 seed into the playoffs.
Let’s play out the hypothetical a bit further. Let’s say that during that large amount of basketball left to be played, the Pacers resurrect their season and sneak into the No. 8 seed in the East (somehow, they are currently only 6 games out of 8th. I would take those odds.). A 1-8 seed playoff clash has the makings of the beginning of a renewed rivalry (this gives me 2024 Divisional Round vibes against the New York Knicks) – especially if Indy were to push the series to 6 or 7 games or even win altogether.
The rivalry of the future
Whether a playoff matchup this year is in the cards or not, this is a rivalry that seems to be coming onto the horizon. The Pistons seem to be on the same trajectory as the Pacers, just a few years behind.
Behind a star continually coming into his own in Cade Cunningham, a defensive-minded guard in Ausar Thompson, a versatile center in Jalen Duren, a score-first veteran forward in Tobias Harris, and significant depth, the Pistons seem to be following a very similar pathway to success as Indy – one the Pacers paved in 2024 and 2025. When the Pacers return to full health next season, I would find no surprise if Indy and Detroit were two of the teams leading the way in the East.
And if that is the case, I know sparks would follow.