Boston Celtics
Cunningham is out with a collapsed lung, and the Pistons say they’ll re-evaluate his status two weeks from now.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham plays with pressure from Celtics guard Jordan Walsh during the first quarter. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
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The only things standing between the Celtics and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference are the Detroit Pistons and the dwindling amount of time left in the regular season.
The Celtics have won seven of their last 10 games, the best mark of the top five teams in the East, and they’ve recently gotten a boost from Jayson Tatum’s return. With just 13 games left in the regular season, the Celtics are 3.5 games behind Detroit.
On Thursday, ESPN reported that Detroit star Cade Cunningham is expected to miss an extended amount of time after suffering a collapsed lung. The Pistons announced that he will be re-evaluated two weeks from now, which means Cunningham will be sidelined until at least early April.
The playoffs are right around the corner. The regular season ends on April 12, and the playoffs begin April 18. Here are a few ways Cunningham’s absence leading up to that time could impact the Celtics.
Any playoff time missed could make the Pistons more vulnerable.
The Pistons don’t have an exact timeline for Cunningham’s return yet. ESPN’s Shams Charania said there is “some optimism” that Cunningham may be back for the playoffs, and that doctors are working to get more information.
Recovery times can vary. C.J. McCollum suffered the injury twice. According to CBS Sports, one instance kept McCollum out for nearly a month and a half (41 days). In another instance, he came back in three weeks. Gerald Wallace and Terrence Jones both wound up missing seven games or fewer.
But, even when Cunningham does come back, it’s not completely certain that he’ll be at full strength.
Cunningham is practically averaging a double-double with 24.5 points and 9.9 assists per game. As a point guard, he plays a big role in orchestrating Detroit’s offense, which is No. 8 in the NBA in points (117.4) per game. At 6-foot-6 inches, he’s also a tall, athletic defender with length. The Pistons are No. 2 in the league in terms of defensive efficiency.
Detroit has led the Eastern Conference for months now, and will likely remain the top seed heading into the playoffs, which means the Celtics wouldn’t play them until the Conference Finals. However, losing a player of Cunningham’s caliber could make Detroit all the more vulnerable to an early upset.
There might be one less competitor for Jaylen Brown in the MVP race.
Players must play 65 games or more to be eligible for postseason awards in the NBA. Cunningham has played in 61, and there’s a possibility of him missing the regular season depending on how the next couple of weeks go.
Jaylen Brown has a lot to do with why the Celtics are in the position they are in. Jayson Tatum missed 60 games and the Celtics did not miss a beat. They were the No. 2 seed last year, and they’re in position to be the No. 2 seed again this year.
They’ve endured plenty of roster turnover beyond Tatum after trading Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the offseason, while losing Al Horford and Luke Kornet to free agency.
Brown has played himself into the MVP conversation as a fringe candidate. As of Wednesday, he had the sixth-best odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Cunningham was fourth.
If Cunningham becomes ineligible, Brown is likely a top-5 candidate for the award. He is the only one in the top-six to cross the 60-game mark this season. With 62 games played, he has to play in just three of the next 13 games to maintain his eligibility.
Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama have played 54 games this season. Luka Doncic has played 57 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played 58. An extended absence for any of them down the stretch could improve Brown’s odds even more.
The momentum could shift even more.
Detroit had already cooled off before Cunningham’s injury, losing five of their last nine games.
The Celtics, on the other hand, have won 12 of their last 16 games and are healthier than they have been all season. They’re still missing Nikola Vucevic, who has been dealing with a fractured finger, but Tatum, Brown, Derrick White and company have been rolling lately.
Boston and Detroit are the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics seem to be gaining strength heading into the playoffs, while Detroit seems to be losing steam.
Of course, anything can happen in the playoffs. The Celtics might get bounced in the first round like they did last year, or they could make it to the Conference Finals and set up a showdown with Detroit.
There’s more than a month of basketball left before these two teams could meet in the playoffs, but the way things unfold between now and then could get interesting considering the latest developments with Cunningham.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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