Similar to the regular season, one of the biggest storylines for the Detroit Pistons in the postseason is the play of Cade Cunningham. As the All-Star guard continues his impressive run, he has put his name alongside some all-time greats.
Over the past six months, Cunningham has drastically climbed the ranks in the NBA hierarchy. He’s cemented himself as a star in the league during the playoffs, proving that the bigger stage doesn’t faze him. Pitted in a highly competitive series with the New York Knicks, Cunningham has continued to lead the charge on a nightly basis.
A large part of why Detroit has been able to hang around in this series is because of Cunningham’s stellar play. Aside from scoring 20 or more points in each of the first five games, he’s impacted the game in numerous facets. Cunningham’s high-level playing remains on display, and he’s shown he can hold his own on the defensive end as well.
So far this series, Cunningham is averaging 25.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 8.8 APG. With this production, he has become just the seventh player in history to put up these averages in his team’s first five playoff matchups. Some of the others to do so include LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Wilt Chamberlain and Nikola Jokic.
Cade Cunningham, LeBron James (4x), Luka Doncic (3x), Nikola Jokic (3x), Russell Westbrook (2x), Oscar Robertson (2x) and Wilt Chamberlain are the only players in NBA history to average 25.0 PTS, 8.0 REB and 8.0 AST through their team’s first five playoff games. pic.twitter.com/Bx0OhQnoyg
— Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) April 30, 2025
Though it ended in a controversial loss, Cunningham’s best individual showing in this series came in Game 4. He notched his first career playoff triple-double, posting 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Based on how he’s looked in this series, the Pistons should feel confident with Cunningham as the pillar of the franchise moving forward. He’s shined in numerous areas, despite adjusting to the atmosphere of the playoffs on the fly. Detroit will need another strong performance from their star guard Thursday as they attempt to force a Game 7 with the Knicks on Thursday night.
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