The No. 3-seeded New York Knicks will face the No. 6-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.

For much of the season, Cunningham was the favorite to win the Most Improved Player of the Year award until the odds shifted drastically toward Dyson Daniels in early April. Despite going just 1-3, all 10 NBA experts for ESPN picked the Knicks to win the series.

The Pistons won the regular-season series over the Knicks, 3-1, including the final three games, however the 3-seed Knicks are the heavy favorites over the 6-seed Pistons. The playoffs are a different beast and the Knicks have the experience advantage entering Saturday night’s Game 1 in the first round at Madison Square Garden.