Coming out of the All-Star break, the New York Knicks weren't getting eased back into their schedule. In their first game coming out of the break, they played host to the Detroit Pistons, a team that has had their number all season long, winning in blowout fashion in each of the last two contests.

The Knicks were a different team now, with Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sochan being new acquisitions to the team, hoping they could help combat the physicality of a tough Pistons team. While the Pistons might've been the more physical team, it was all Cade Cunningham on Thursday night.

With 42 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds, Cade Cunningham's dominant performance in one of basketball's biggest stages, Madison Square Garden, was enough to help the Pistons to a 126-111 win over the Knicks. A closer game than the contests prior, a poor shooting performance held New York back.

Jalen Brunson led the way with 33 points and eight assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns had a 21-point double-double.

Now having gone 0-3 against the Pistons in the regular season, a team the Knicks beat in the postseason last year, fans have grown concerned about whether New York can handle the Pistons if they met in the playoffs this year.

When asked about the head-to-head against the Pistons and other playoff teams in the East, Towns talked about how much the regular seasons contests matter.

"It means a lot, I think it does. It builds a confidence going into a series...you also have great film to see what did work...I think any game is important in the regular season. I know you're talking about seeing them in the playoffs, but you know, we got to get there first," Towns said.

At this point, falling out of the playoff picture would be a massive disaster for the Knicks, but Towns has the right mindset to think that nothing is guaranteed this season. It wasn't long ago the Knicks had the longest winning streak in the NBA, so it's clear this group has the capabilities of being one of, if not, the best, team in the East.

As for the other top Eastern Conference playoff teams near them in the standings, the Knicks have gone 2-1 against the Boston Celtics this season and 2-0 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If the Pistons and Knicks end the season as the top two seeds in the East, that means the only way the face one another is if they meet in the Eastern Conference Finals, which would be a entertaining scenario for fans to see.