The Detroit Pistons are a National Basketball Association team based in the Detroit, Michigan metropolitan area.

Franchise history

Early history

The franchise was founded in 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana by Fred Zollner, owner of a General Motors subsidiary that manufactured piston parts. Lead by star forward George Yardley, the Fort Wayne Pistons were a popular franchise and appeared in the NBA Finals in 1954 and 1955, losing both times. In 1957, Zollner moved the team to Detroit, a much larger city that did not have an NBA franchise; the Detroit Gems had folded after one season of existence. The new Detroit Pistons played in Olympia Stadium (home of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings at the time) for their first four seasons, then moved to Cobo Arena. The franchise was a consistent disappointment, struggling on both the court and the box office. In 1974, Zollner sold the team to Bill Davidson, who remains the team's principal owner. Displeased with the team's location in downtown Detroit, Davidson moved them to the suburb of Pontiac in 1978, where they played in the mammoth Silverdome, a structure built for professional football (the Silverdome was also the home of the Detroit Lions at the time).

1980s

The franchise's fortunes finally began to turn in 1981, when they drafted point guard Isiah Thomas out of Indiana University. In early 1982, they acquired center Bill Laimbeer in a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers and guard Vinnie Johnson from the Seattle SuperSonics. The three, along with later acquisitions Joe Dumars (a 1985 Draft Pick), Rick Mahorn, and Dennis Rodman, formed the core of a team that would rise to the top of the league. With their physical, intense style of play, the Pistons gained the nickname "Bad Boys." Coach Chuck Daly took the team to the NBA Finals three consecutive years (1988-90) and won NBA championships in 1989 and 1990 (and it is wildly debated in Detroit that the Pistons should have won in 1988). The team moved into the lavish Palace of Auburn Hills in 1988 and remains there today.

1990s

The franchise went through a lengthy transitional period during the 1990s as key players either retired (Thomas and Laimbeer in 1994) or left (Johnson, Salley, and Rodman among others). The time period saw the team make questionable personnel decisions such as the 1994 trade of Dennis Rodman to the San Antonio Spurs for Sean Elliott; the loss of free agent Allan Houston to the New York Knicks after the 1996 season; the signing of free agent wash-outs Christian Laettner, Loy Vaught, Cedric Ceballos, and the late Bison Dele; and numerous head coaching changes from Ron Rothstein to Don Chaney to Doug Collins to Alvin Gentry to George Irvine in an eight-year span. The franchise even changed its team colors from Red, White, and Blue to Teal, Orange, and White in 1996 in what proved to be a highly unpopular move (this is known as the "teal era" by fans).

Grant Hill, who was drafted by the team in 1994, emerged as a gifted player and a multiple time All-Star. However, the team was unable to win a playoff series, losing to the Orlando Magic in 1996, the Atlanta Hawks in 1997 and 1999, and the Miami Heat in 2000. In 2000, the appointment of Joe Dumars as president of basketball operations proved to be a turning point in the franchise's fortunes. After Hill indicated his intentions to leave for Orlando, Dumars dealt him to the Magic in return for a pair of largely unheralded players, Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins. Though many questioned the move, the trade turned out to be an immediate success for the Pistons as Wallace earned NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors three out of the next four seasons and consistently ranked among the league leaders in rebounds and blocked shots (meanwhile, Hill missed much of the next four seasons with an ankle injury). Dumars also gave Rick Carlisle, one of the top assistants in the league, his first head coaching job, and Carlisle subsequently guided the team to a #1 seed in the playoffs, earning NBA Coach of the Year honors in the process. To complement Wallace, Dumars revamped the Pistons' roster, signing free agent Chauncey Billups, acquiring Richard "Rip" Hamilton via a trade with the Washington Wizards for Jerry Stackhouse, and drafting Tayshaun Prince from the University of Kentucky with the Pistions' first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

2000s

After two successful seasons (2001-2003) under head coach Rick Carlisle, which saw the Pistons win 100 games and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1991, Carlisle was fired and replaced by Hall of Famer Larry Brown. Brown and the Pistons were a good team that eventually turned into a champion with the February 2004 acquisition of Rasheed Wallace from the Atlanta Hawks. The Pistons eventually won 54 games, tying for their most wins since 1997. In the playoffs, after easily defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, they defeated the then-defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 7 games (coming back from a 3-2 deficit in the process). Detroit then defeated the Indiana Pacers (coincidentally coached by Rick Carlisle) in the Eastern Conference Finals in six tough games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1990. The Pistons won the 2004 NBA championship in dominating fashion over the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

As the franchise returned to the league's elite level, the local support of the Pistons has correspondingly increased. From the mid-1990s until 2001, Pistons games were rarely sold out, even during playoff games. Now, despite playing in the league's largest arena, the Pistons have sold out 92 consecutive home games as of December 18, 2005, thus regularly making the Pistons the league leaders in fan attendance, and the raucous Palace crowd one of the most formidable for opposing teams to play before in the NBA.

The Pistons have also developed a large fan following during road games. It is not uncommon to hear pro-Pistons chants and cheers when Piston players score during many road games. This is similar to the fan following the Detroit Red Wings developed during the 1990s and continue to have to this day when they are on the road.

On November 19, 2004, the Pistons were involved in a massive brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills during a losing home game against the Indiana Pacers. After fouling Pistons' Ben Wallace, Pacer Ron Artest was hit by a cup while lying down on the scorer's table. This caused Artest to rush into the stands and attack some fans. Other Pacers such as Jermaine O'Neal fought with fans who had walked onto the court. A month later, five Pacers and seven fans were charged after being involved in the "basketbrawl."

See also: The Malice at The Palace.

The Pistons were considered a strong contender to win a second consecutive title in 2005. They won 54 games during the regular season, their fifth consecutive season of 50 or more wins. As the Second Seed in the Eastern Conference in the Playoffs, they easily defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 and then rallied from a 2-1 deficit to finish off the Indiana Pacers 4-2. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons faced the Miami Heat. Once again Detroit fell behind, this time three games to two. However, the Pistons handily won Game 6 in Detroit and picked up a stunning 88-82 win in Game 7 in Miami to take the series 4-3 and become Eastern Conference Champions for the fith time. In the process, the Pistons also became the first team to win a Game 7 on the road since the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in 2002.

The Pistons played in the 2005 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. After splitting the first six games, the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 1994 was played. There, however, the Pistons lost a hard-fought game to the Spurs, who clinched their third championship.

The Pistons franchise headed into the offseason with all five starters plus key reserves Antonio McDyess and Carlos Arroyo under contract for 2005-06. On July 18, 2005, the Pistons decided to buy out the remaining 3 years left on Larry Brown's contract, officially ending his coaching days in Detroit. He was replaced by Flip Saunders who previously coached the Minnesota Timberwolves for over 10 years. Brown subsequently signed a deal to coach the New York Knicks.

The Pistons have started off the 2005-2006 season red hot, and currently have the best record (in terms of winning percentage) in the NBA, as well as having established a franchise best start with a record of 20-3 as of December 21, 2005.

Also on November 30, The Pistons unveiled their new alternate road jerseys, which are red with "PISTONS" in white lettering and blue trim emblazened across the chest.

Players of note

Basketball Hall of Fame Members:

• Dave Bing
• Larry Brown (coached Detroit)
• Chuck Daly (coached Detroit)
• Dave DeBusschere
• Bob Lanier
• Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player or coach)
• Bob McAdoo
• Isiah Thomas
• George Yardley

Not to be forgotten:

• Mark Aguirre
• Jon Barry
• Elden Campbell
• Adrian Dantley
• Bison Dele
• Grant Hill
• Allan Houston
• Mike James
• Rick Mahorn
• Clifford Robinson
• Dennis Rodman
• John Salley
• Jerry Stackhouse
• Kelly Tripucka
• Corliss Williamson

Retired numbers:

• William Davidson, Team owner since 1974. Banner raised to honor his 30+ years with the team.
• 2 Chuck Daly, Head Coach, 1983-92 (never played in the NBA; represents the two NBA championship teams he coached)
• 4 Joe Dumars, G, 1985-99; Team President, 2000-Present
• 11 Isiah Thomas, G, 1981-94
• 15 Vinnie Johnson, G, 1981-91
• 16 Bob Lanier, C, 1970-81
• 21 Dave Bing, G, 1966-75
• 40 Bill Laimbeer, C, 1982-94

Current Roster

Franchise Leaders

• Career Leaders
  • Points: 18,822 Isiah Thomas
  • Games: 1018 Joe Dumars
  • Rebounds: 9430 Bill Laimbeer
  • Assists: 9061 Isiah Thomas
  • Blocks: 1116 Ben Wallace
  • Steals: 1861 Isiah Thomas
  • Field Goals: 7194 Isiah Thomas
  • 3 Point FG: 990 Joe Dumars

External links

• Detroit Pistons official web site