Celtics Insider Says Pistons May Not Be 'Impacted Much At All' By Cade Cunningham Update
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Celtics Insider Says Pistons May Not Be 'Impacted Much At All' By Cade Cunningham Update originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Detroit Pistons fans and NBA followers alike were hit with devastating news on Thursday morning when it was reported that All-Star guard Cade Cunningham had been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and was set to miss an "extended period."
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The update comes as the Pistons are looking to hold off the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with the regular season wrapping up.
Detroit entered Thursday with a 3 1/2 game lead over second-seeded Boston with 14 contests left.
Celtics insider Jay King of The Athletic argued that as long as the Pistons can hold onto the No. 1 spot, they could be ok.
"Call me crazy, but this won’t swing much in the Eastern Conference. Players with collapsed lungs have missed an average of 26 days, according to the great Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes. If Cunningham returns on a similar timeline, he will be back in time to start the playoffs," King wrote. "As long as the Pistons hold onto the top seed, they won’t be impacted much at all. They know who they are already. They know how they need to play. And as long as they’re able to plug Cunningham back into the lineup when the postseason arrives, they’ll be one of the clear conference favorites."
For what it's worth, King and fellow scribes at The Athletic Hunter Patterson (Pistons beat writer) and James L. Edwards III (New York Knicks beat writer) all predicted that Detroit will finish with the top mark in the Eastern Conference.
The trio also all have Boston ending the regular season in second place, followed by the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
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