2006 Detroit Pistons

Even as we say “Congratulations” to the Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of the Eastern Conference Finals, we want to say a big “Thank you” to the Detroit Pistons, winners of the Central Division, for the amazing season they had!

With a disappointing 2006 playoff run and the departure of superstar Ben Wallace, the outstanding Pistons defense is in transition. Wallace’s replacement, Nazr Mohammed, will need to step up his game on offense as well to be effective as the team’s #1 Center. The team’s dynamic frontcourt of Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace will be creating problems in the paint for defenses around the league. And, in the backcourt, Rip Hamilton’s star gets brighter by the season. With expectations high in the Motor City, the Pistons will be a fun and intense team to watch this season.

The Pistons reached the NBA Finals in 1955 and 1956 but failed to win the championship. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the Pistons were one of the top squads in the league, reaching the NBA Finals from 1988 to 1990 and winning championship titles in 1989 and 1990. Guard Isiah Thomas led the team, which was nicknamed the Bad Boys for the bruising style of play of such stars as center Bill Laimbeer, guard Joe Dumars, and forwards Rick Mahorn and Dennis Rodman.

The Pistons were founded by Fred Zollner in 1940 as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons. A year later the club joined the National Basketball League (NBL), which was composed primarily of teams launched by corporations in the Midwest. Led by guard Bobby McDermott, the Pistons were a dominant force in the league, reaching the NBL championship series in their first year before falling to the Oshkosh All-Stars. Two years later, in 1943, the club lost to the Sheboygan Redskins by one point in the deciding game of the NBL Finals. The Pistons won their first NBL championship in 1944 and added a second in 1945.

In 1948 the Pistons shifted to the Basketball Association of America (BAA). When the BAA and the NBL merged to form the NBA in 1949, the Pistons were one of the new league's premier teams. The club qualified for the playoffs in each of its first five NBA seasons, advancing to the division finals twice. The 1954-55 team, which featured guard Andy Phillip, forward George Yardley, and center Larry Foust, advanced to the NBA Finals but lost by one point to the Syracuse Nationals in the deciding game. The Pistons lost in the 1956 NBA Finals to the Philadelphia Warriors.

After moving to Detroit in 1957, the Pistons continued to qualify for the playoffs each year until 1964. The team's lineups in that period featured guard Gene Shue, forward Bailey Howell, and forward Dave DeBusschere, who came aboard in 1962. From the mid-1960s through the early 1970s the Pistons slumped. Through much of this time, the Pistons were led by guard Dave Bing. He won the rookie of the year award in the 1966-67 season and went on to become one of the league's top scorers. In 1970 Bing was joined by center Bob Lanier, and the two combined to form one of the NBA's most powerful scoring combinations. Bing and Lanier helped Detroit reach the playoffs in 1974, but the team's record slipped when Bing was traded after the 1974-75 season. In 1978 former University of Detroit coach Dick Vitale took over as head coach of the Pistons. The club moved to the Pontiac Silverdome, but its fortunes failed to improve.

In the early 1980s draft picks and trades brought guards Isiah Thomas, Kelly Tripucka, and Vinnie Johnson and center Bill Laimbeer to the club. Chuck Daly signed on as head coach in 1983 and guided the team to the playoffs in 1984. Detroit's record steadily improved with Daly's leadership and the addition of Joe Dumars in 1985 and forward Adrian Dantley in 1986. Although the Pistons lost to the Boston Celtics in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, Detroit prevailed over the Celtics in the 1988 conference finals with solid defense by Dumars, Laimbeer, Johnson, and Dennis Rodman. The Pistons fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games in the NBA Finals, but Thomas set an NBA playoff record by scoring 25 points in a single quarter in game six.

Before the start of the 1988-89 season the Pistons moved to The Palace of Auburn Hills and bolstered their roster with forward Mark Aguirre. Detroit relied on a physical, bruising defense and sharp shooting to register 63 regular-season victories and advance to the 1989 NBA Finals, where they swept the Lakers. The Pistons repeated as champions in 1990 with a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals.

In the 1990s the Pistons faded as Detroit's star roster began to disband and the Chicago Bulls emerged to dominate the Eastern Conference. A high draft pick in 1994 brought forward Grant Hill to the club, and the team's results improved.