2026 will remain in the history books because of its brand-new three-team All-Star Game format. Team World, Team USA Stars, and Team USA Stripes fought in a tournament created to reignite enthusiasm among players and fans, both of whom are slowly but surely abandoning the weekend, which isn’t as competitive as it once was. USA Stars won thanks to a terrific performance by Tyrese Maxey, who scored 9 points and played everywhere in the final against USA Stripes, an onslaught that finished 47-21.
All-Star Weekend excluded, though, this year may be memorable because of the performance of a team that was in full rebuilding mode during the last seasons and is now leading the Eastern Conference with a 42-14 record: the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit currently leads the East by five games over the Celtics and is enjoying a season that has far exceeded their wildest expectations. Bookmakers are already revising their odds on them, given how well they are playing. In this regard, anyone wishing to bet on the surprise of the tournament for the final victory can take advantage of the bonus bets offered by Oddschecker, a comparison site that provides daily reviews of the best offers on the market, like deposit match bonuses and other intriguing promos dedicated to new and returning customers. The platform provides info, statistics, and news on basketball and other popular sports.
The rise of Cade Cunningham
What’s impressive in the Pistons’ season is their streak of wins. Detroit is a couple of games behind the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, a franchise expected to be exactly where they are. Nobody saw the Pistons coming: bookmakers, analysts, NBA front offices, positive fans… their going is a surprise for everyone.
A key player in this unexpected surge has been guard Cade Cunningham. Interviewed during the All-Star Weekend, the 24-year-old said that he and his teammates are going to run their race until the very end, with the clear intention of finishing the season strong. Barring injuries, Cunningham can truly finish strong. He is on par to tie its 2024-2025 statistics, which were the best in his career. Can the Pistons dominate in the last third of the season and make a deep run in the playoffs? It won’t be only on them, but also on their competition, which isn’t doing so well at the moment.
What’s going on in Milwaukee and Cleveland?
The main competition for Detroit in the East is the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, who sit at 2 and 3, respectively, in the Eastern Conference standings. The other two teams that could worry them, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks, are not doing as well as predicted at the beginning of the season.
The Cavs are accusing their new asset. They traded for James Harden during the window, hoping to add a dangerous playmaker to their rotation, but ended up breaking the balance they had before. Cleveland is still at number 4 and can push for a late-season surge in order to finish in a better position and get the home-field advantage in the playoffs. Until now, though, Evan Mobley, the Beard, and Donovan Mitchell haven’t found a lot of common ground to build on. New York is only a game ahead of the Cavs, but the Toronto Raptors are pretty close: only a couple of wins behind.
The Milwaukee Bucks' situation is certainly worse. The injury to Giannis Antetokounmpo cost them a lot this year. With a record of 24-31 (.436), the Bucks are eleventh in the East and are risking an anonymous season. Should the Greek Freak truly decide to move away at the end of the tournament, we could really be on the brink of a revolution in Wisconsin. Rumours are already swirling and, according to them, Giannis would like to go to a true contender next year, play his cards right to reach the finals, and try to win them as he did in 2021, when Milwaukee had a great roster and a dominant superstar in Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks need some kind of miracle if they want to climb the table and get into the playoffs. They could do it through the play-in, but they will need to improve their record.
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